"Education given officially shall be free of charge and basic education shall also be compulsory and fully funded by the State. The State shall establish the mechanisms of compulsion to give effect to this provision." Compulsory schooling shall continue up to the sixth grade of primary education, including pre-school education. As a rule it covers ages 7 to 13 years.

324. Our labour laws establish that a child of 16 years may enter into labour contracts under the supervision of the Ministry of Labour. Exceptionally, for reasons of material necessity for himself or his family a child may work from the age of fourteen years as a minimum. The newly adopted legislation establishes the minimum age of fourteen years in accordance with Convention 138 of the International Labour Organization (articles 115, 120 of the Code on Children/article 128 (7) of the Constitution).

326. With regard to marriage, the age at which a person is fully authorized to contract marriage without the consent of his or her parents is 21 years (age of majority). However, persons may marry with the consent of their parents or legal representatives at the age of 18 or at 16 if the couple have already been living together.

329. With regard to criminal responsibility, the new Code on Children establishes clearly that children under the age of 12 years may not be charged, are not criminal and may not be subjected to a children's system of justice. From 12 to 18 years the special system of justice for children who break the law will be applied, with all its guarantees of due process. (Article 122 of the Constitution and articles 180 et seq. of the Code on Children and Adolescents).