| School-leaving age |
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23. As far as schools are concerned, the provisions of the
Constitution and of article 9 of Act No. 98/004 of 14 April
1999 on education guidelines in Cameroon provide that primary education is
compulsory, but do not refer to any age limit for school attendance. |
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| Minimum age of employment |
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22. In social matters, according to article 1
of Order No. 17 of 27 May 1969 on child labour, "Any person of
either sex, whether a wage earner or an apprentice, who is
below the age of 18 years shall be regarded as a minor."
However, the annex to Order No. 16 of 27 May 1969 contains a
list of work prohibited to minors. According to article 86-1
of the Labour Code, moreover, "Minors may not be employed in
any enterprise, even as apprentices, before the age of 14,
except as otherwise provided by order of the Minister of
Labour in the light of local circumstances and the work that
may be required of them." On 14 April 1998, Cameroon adopted
a law authorizing the President of the Republic to ratify ILO
Convention No. 138 on the Minimum
Age for Admission to Employment and thus considers
that the minimum age for admission to employment or work is
14 years, in accordance with its domestic
legislation.
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| Minimum age for marriage |
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20. […] With regard to marriage and according to article
52-1 of Order No. 81/02 of 29 June 1981 on the organization of
the civil register, "No marriage may be celebrated if
the girl is
below the age of 15 years or the boy below the age
of 18 years, except under an exemption granted by the
President of the Republic for serious reasons."
[…]
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| Minimum age for criminal responsibility |
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221. Since the Decree of 30 November
1928 establishing special courts and the probation system for
minors, Cameroon has adopted the principle of the criminal
responsibility of certain juvenile delinquents; they are not,
however, indiscriminately penalized. Act No. 65/LF/24 of 12
November 1965 instituting a penal code and Act No. 67/LF/1 of
12 June 1967 containing the Penal Code introduced that
colonial decree into the law applicable in independent
Cameroon and established a classification of juvenile
delinquents. They receive differentiated treatment according
to whether they are below 10 years of age, between 10 and 14
years or between 14 and 18 years.
222. Minors below the age of 10 are
considered as totally without responsibility; they can
therefore not be tried for the acts they have committed.
Cameroonian legislation considers this category of minors as
completely lacking in discernment. They can therefore never be
handed over to the Public Prosecutor’s Office or brought
before a judge for sentencing. The parents alone can be
sentenced to provide compensation for the harm caused to the
victim pursuant to the rules relating to civil liability.
223. A child between the age of 10 and 14 is
criminally responsible; however, only one of the special
measures provided for by the law can be imposed on him.
224.
For minors between the ages of 14 and 18
years, the Penal Code provides for parallel
measures.
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