At What Age?...
...are school-children employed, married and taken to court?
Gambia
Source: CRC/C/3/Add. 61 Date: 28 September 2000 		back to table --»
 back to introduction --»
School-leaving age

176. This is a guaranteed right for every Gambian child as provided for in the Constitution of The Second Republic, 1997. Section 30 reads:

"All persons shall have the right to equal educational opportunities and facilities and with a view to achieving the full realization of that right: (a) Basic education shall be free, compulsory and available to all; […]

177. Although this constitutional measure seeks to ensure that universal "free and compulsory" primary education is available to all Gambian children, this has yet to be achieved. […]

179. Among the other obstacles to the realization of the goal of free and compulsory primary education is the lack of a legal framework for its enforcement. Since the Education Act requires enrolment at public school for children age seven and above, a basic cycle of six and three years would be ideal for compulsory school up to the age of 16 years. […]

Minimum age of employment

Information unavailable

Minimum age for marriage

Information unavailable
Minimum age for criminal responsibility

65. A similar age limit is found in the Criminal Code, Cap 10 Laws of the Gambia, where a child is defined as: "A person below fourteen years of age". This is further qualified by the other age limits in the same Criminal Code, with 7 and 12 years being set for the age of criminal responsibility based on knowledge and understanding of a wrongful act or omission.