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At what age?: are school children employed, married and taken to count

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In at least 25 countries of the world there is no specified age for compulsory education; at least 33 States have no minimum age of employment and in 44 girls can be married earlier than boys. In at least 125 countries children may be taken to court and risk imprisonment for criminal acts at an age between 7 and 15, often the age range for compulsory education. Moreover, in the same country, it is not rare to find that children are legally obliged to go to school until they are 14 or 15 years old but a different law allows them to work at an earlier age or to be married at the age of 12 or to be criminally responsible from the age of 7. Being aware of the legal situation of children around the world is necessary for designing effective measures to improve it. Based on States Parties’ reports under the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC)1 and therefore reflecting States’ representations of their own practice, At what age? brings to light problems that are not - but should be - effectively addressed: at what age do children become adults and loose their protection under the Convention on the Rights of the Child? This publication analyses national legislation on the duration of compulsory education and legal safeguards against adult responsibilities infringing on children's education. What it shows is that children's right to education is currently under threat from early marriage, child labour and imprisonment; States have not adapted their legislation in favour of the right to education, and they do not have agreed standards for the transition from childhood to adulthood either internationally or nationally. Often taken as the guarantor of childhood until 18, the Convention on the Rights of the Child in fact states in article 1 that: ‘‘a child means every human being below the age of eighteen years unless, under the law applicable to the child, majority is attained earlier’’. The latter element, a limitation, substantially weakens the operative part of the article and provides justification for differing interpretations and practice. It is an acknowledgement that not even the age of majority is the same in all countries.

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Availability

KP IV.6 MEL a

KP IV.6 MEL a

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Detail Information

Series Title

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Call Number

KP IV.6 MEL a

Publisher

Stokholm : Swedish International Development Co-operation Agency (SIDA)., 2002

Collation

119 hlm; 30 cm

Language

English

ISBN/ISSN

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Classification

KP IV.6

Content Type

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Media Type

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Carrier Type

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Edition

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Subject(s)

Hak anak

Specific Detail Info

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Statement of Responsibility

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