UK accused of attempting to deport children to Rwanda

A group of people thought to be migrants are brought in to Dover, Kent – charities say that children as young as 14 are being routinely assessed as being born in 1999. Photograph: Gareth Fuller/PA

The Home Office has been accused of attempting to deport unaccompanied 16-year-olds to Rwanda in the first wave of asylum seekers to be sent to east Africa later this month.

Charities have identified what they describe as a “worrying pattern” of children being classed as adults by Home Office age assessments, raising fears they could be among those deported 4,500 miles to Rwanda.