At What Age?... ...are school-children employed, married and taken to court?
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Country Year of Report School-leaving age for girl/for boy Minimum age of employment Minimum age for marriage for girl/for boy Minimum age for criminal responsibility Algeria 1996 16 16 18/21 Andorra 2001 16 16 14 16 Argentina 2002 1993 15 14 16/18* Armenia 2003 1997 16 17/18 14 Aruba 2003 16* 12* Australia 1996 15* no minimum* 16 7* Austria 1997 15 15 15/18 14 Azerbaijan 1996 14 Bahrain 2001 not compulsory* 14 Bangladesh 2003 1995 10 no minimum no minimum 7 Barbados 1997 16 16 16 7 Belarus 2001 1993 14 14 Belgium 2001 1994 15* 15 18* 16 Belize 1997 14 12 14 7 Benin 1997 14 no minimum 13 Bhutan 1999 not compulsory 16/18 Bolivia 1997 14 14/16* 16 Brunei Darussalam 2003 not compulsory 14 no minimum 7 Bulgaria 1995 16 16 16 14 Burkina Faso 2002 1993 16* no minimum 15/18 13 Burundi 1998 12 16 13 Cambodia 1998 16 18/20 no minimum Cameroon 2001 not compulsory* 14 15/18* 10 Canada 2003 1994 no minimum* no minimum* 12 Cape Verde 2001 16 14 16 Central African Republic 1998 14 18 13 Chad 1997 15 no minimum no minimum 13 Chile 2001 14 15 12/14 16 Colombia 2000 1993 15 14 no minimum 18 Comoros 1998 14 no minimum no minimum 13 Costa Rica 1998 15 Cote d`Ivoire 2000 not compulsory* no minimum no minimum 10 Cuba 1996 17 16 Cyprus 2002 15 15 10 Czech Republic 2002 1996 15 15 16 15 Dem. People's Rep. of Korea 1996 16 14 Dem. Rep. of the Congo 2000 not compulsory* no minimum 15/14 16 Denmark 2000 1993 16 15 15 15 Djibouti 1998 13 13 Dominica 2003 16 12 16 12 Dominican Republic 1996 14 14* 15/16 12 Ecuador 1996 14 no minimum 18 Egypt 1999 1992 14 14 16/18 7 Eritrea 2002 not compulsory 14 no minimum 12 Estonia 2002 15 18 15 13 Ethiopia 2000 1995 not compulsory 14 15/18 9 Fiji 1996 not compulsory 12 16/18 10 Finland 1998 1995 16 15 18* 15 Gabon 2001 16 16 13 Gambia 2000 not compulsory 7 Georgia 2003 1998 16 16 14 Germany 2003 15 15 16 14 Ghana 1995 15 no minimum no minimum 7 Greece 2001 15 15 18* 12 Grenada 1997 14 14 no minimum 7 Guatemala 2000 1995 no minimum 14/16 12 Guinea 1997 16 no minimum 18 Guinea-Bissau 2001 no minimum no minimum 16 Guyana 2003 16* 10 Haiti 2002 15 no minimum Honduras 1998 13 14 16 12 Hungary 1996 16 16 16 14 Iceland 2002 1995 16 16 18* 15 India 2003 1997 14 18/21 7 Indonesia 2003 15* 16/19 8 Iran 1998 11 15 Iraq 1996 15 Ireland 1996 15 15 16* 7 Israel 2002 15 15 no minimum 12 Italy 2002 14* 15 16 14 Jamaica 2003 14 12 16 12 Japan 2003 1996 15 15 16/18 14 Jordan 1999 1993 17 16 15/16 7 Kazakhstan 2002 16 16 14 Kenya 2001 no minimum no minimum 8 Kuwait 1996 14 14 15/17 7 Kyrgyzstan 1999 15 17/18 14 Lao People's Dem. Rep. 1996 15 15 15 Latvia 2000 15 15 16 14 Lebanon 2000 11 no minimum 7 Lesotho 1998 no minimum 7 Liberia 2003 not compulsory no minimum 15 Libyan Arab Jamahiriya 2002 1996 15 15 20* 14 Liechtenstein 1999 15 15 18/20* 14 Lithuania 1998 16 14 Luxembourg 1997 15 15 16/18 no minimum Madagascar 2003 14 18* 13 Malawi 2001 not compulsory no minimum no minimum 7 Maldives 1997 1996 not compulsory 16 no minimum 7 Mali 1997 no minimum 15/18 13 Malta 1998 16 16 9 Marshall Islands 1998 14 no minimum no minimum 10 Mauritania 2001 not compulsory no minimum no minimum no minimum Mexico 1998 1993 15 no minimum 14/16 no minimum Micronesia 1996 14 no minimum no minimum 16 Monaco 2000 16 16 15/18 13 Morocco 2003 13 15 15/18 12* Mozambique 2001 not compulsory no minimum 16 Myanmar 1995 no minimum 7 Netherlands 2003 1997 16* 16 16* 12* Netherlands Antilles 2001 15 12 15/16* 12 New Zealand 2003 1995 16 no minimum 16 10 Nicaragua 1999 1998 14 14/15 13 Niger 2001 16 14 no minimum 13 Norway 1998 1993 16 15 18* 15 Oman 2000 13 18* 9 Pakistan 2003 not compulsory 14 no minimum 7* Palau 2000 17 no minimum no minimum 10 Panama 1995 no minimum Papua New Guinea 2003 not compulsory no minimum no minimum 7 Paraguay 2001 12* no minimum 14 14 Peru 1998 18 12 12 Poland 2002 15* 15 16/18 no minimum Portugal 2001 1994 15 15 16 16 Qatar 2001 7 Republic of KOREA 2002 15 15 16/18 14 Republic of Moldova 2002 16 16 14/16 14 Romania 2002 14 15 15/18 14 Russian Federation 1998 15 15 16 14 Rwanda 2003 12 no minimum 21* 14 Saint Kitts and Nevis 1997 16 16 8 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 2001 not compulsory* 14 15/16 8 San Marino 2003 16 16 16 12 Saudi Arabia 2000 13 no minimum 10 Seychelles 2002 15 15 15/18 7 Sierra Leone 1996 15 no minimum no minimum 10 Singapore 2003 not compulsory* 18* 7 Slovakia 1998 16 14 16 15 Slovenia 2003 1995 15 15 18* 14 Solomon Islands 2002 not compulsory 12 no minimum 8 South Africa 1999 15 no minimum 12/14 7 Spain 2001 16 16 14 12 Sri Lanka 2002 14 10 no minimum 8 Sudan 2001 not compulsory 16 no minimum 7 Suriname 1998 not compulsory 14 13/15 10 Sweden 1998 16 16 15 Switzerland 2001 15 15 18 7 Syrian Arab Republic 2002 1996 12* 12 7 Tajikistan 1998 14 Thailand 1996 13 no minimum 7 The FYR of Macedonia 1997 15 15 16 14 Togo 1996 15 14 17/20 no minimum Trinidad & Tobago 1996 12 12 12/14 7 Tunisia 2001 16 16 17* 13 Turkey 2000 14 12 14/15 11 Uganda 1996 no minimum 7 Ukraine 2001 17 16 14 United Arab Emirates 2001 11 15 7 United Kingdom 2002 1994 16 16 16 8 UK (Isle of Man) 2000 16 16 16 10 UK (Overseas Territories) 2000 16 16 16 10 United Republic of Tanzania 2000 13 no minimum no minimum Uzbekistan 2001 16/17 13 Vanuatu 1997 not compulsory 16/18 10 Venezuela 1997 14 14 no minimum* 18 Vietnam 2002 10 18/20 14 Yemen 1998 1995 not compulsory* no minimum 15 7 Zambia 2002 not compulsory 14 no minimum 8