Forensic age estimation of young asylum seekers. Experiences from the Institute of Legal Medicine Hamburg

Medical examinations for the purpose of age estimation of young foreigners entering Germany are permitted by law if there are doubts concerning their given date of birth. In this context X-ray examinations have been legitimized by A A 49 AufenthG since the end of August 2007 and this increased the diagnostic accuracy of age estimations. The radiation exposure of the most common approach, X-ray examination of the hand and jaw, is rather low. An X-ray examination of the clavicles is necessary only in exceptional cases, resulting in a higher radiation exposure. In many cases the inclusion of age-related parameters of the wisdom teeth enables an accurate estimate. In 2009 a total of 181 age estimations were provided by the Institute of Legal Medicine Hamburg and discrepancies between the given age and the estimated age were found in 94.8% of cases. In view of an increase in cross-border migration age estimation of young foreigners will be increasingly requested. A few years ago the majority of young foreigners entering Germany originated from countries of central and west Africa but in 2009 and the first months of 2010 the overwhelming majority of young, mostly male, foreigners came from Afghanistan and Iraq.