The Journey

Failed asylum seekers posing as children are occasionally getting the reception they deserve, according to a report by Unicef. Claims of having escaped from traffickers, or having been orphaned, abandoned or lost because of the activities of brave young men doing a wonderful job, are frequently met with disbelief and can result in hours of interrogation, though waterboarding and other veracity enhancers are not yet in widespread use. Those convicted of "looking old enough" are consigned to the adult detention system for the protection of British culture and the profitability of Serco. Others, who lack documentation and who fake their traumas so convincingly that nothing can be got out of them at all, end up in a state of surveillance deprivation in the hands of traffickers or non-governmental abusers; and serve them right.