Age estimation in unaccompained foreign minors: Comparative analysis of some Italian protocols [Stima dell'età nei minori stranieri non accompagnati: analisi comparativa di alcuni protocolli italiani]

According to national and international regulations, age estimation has a fundamental importance for the correlations existing between the minor age and the recognition of some fundamental rights. In case of serious doubts about the age of refugees and asylum seekers, the age estimate process should be performed on a holistic and multidisciplinary approach based on the gradual and progressive use of non-medical and medical methods. However, in the forensic scenario there is no consensus and uniformity regarding the procedures and methodologies to be used and this also in relation to the disputes on the limits and the risks of error related to an assessment carried out with invasive methods and resorting to the use of radiation for legal-administrative and non-diagnostictherapeutic purposes. With regard to these critical issues and the evidence that suggests an uneven application of the implementation of the standard that prescribes the multidisciplinary approach of the assessment, this contribution aims to undertake a comparative analysis of some protocols for estimating chronological age in force in Italy.