Dr. Alva O'Dalaigh:

I just picked out a few cases. We have seen quite a few children this year. We interview the unaccompanied minors through translators. We had one girl who was just ten days short of being 15 when she arrived in Ireland. She has been in adult accommodation since she arrived ten months ago.

When she was met a month after her arrival, she said that she found it hard to look after herself, that people were drinking in the accommodation and she found that intimidating. At that time, the GP said it was evident from the consultation that she did not have the maturity of an adult and it was not suitable for her to be deemed an adult. She was seen by two other GPs for minor medical issues and again according to their notes, they wrote letters stating that they felt she had been inappropriately aged because of the way she presents herself as regards maturity. We recently caught up with her. She had been placed in self-catering accommodation which meant she got an additional allowance to buy food and cook for herself rather than food being cooked for her. However, she did not feel her English was up to it and she felt intimidated about going to Lidl, the local shop, to buy her food. Therefore she was not eating in her accommodation. The Jesuit Refugee Service placed her in Youthreach. She goes there Mondays to Fridays to learn English and they have a hot meal in the middle of the day, so that is what she is eating. She said that everyone else in her accommodation is an adult. No one else is her age and some people had prevailed upon her to give them some of her money, which she felt she had to do. I suppose she did not feel she could stand up for herself. One of her teeth was in need of dental attention. She said she had been crying about it in her room and no one paid her attention. She shares a room with two adult women. Eventually one of them called the manager of the accommodation who brought her some paracetamol but that was the extent of the care. She had a GP but had received a letter telling her she had been assigned and asking her come and to bring someone to translate for her. She said she did not have anyone who could translate for her and also did not know where the GP practice was so she did not go. She has now been in that situation for ten months and is still 15.