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Age-related policies may be controversial, contradictory, arbitrary, inconsistent, unfair or old-fashioned…

Yet, age related policies directly influence the realities of adolescents and young people:

when they can make independent health choices, be tried in adult courts and held in adult prisons, access financial credit for business, be heard in judicial proceedings, or consent to marriage.

Whatever the topic or the context – one thing is clear: adolescents’ and young people’s views need to be consulted and taken into account

Find out more about why age matters, the Age Matters! project, or explore the map to see age-related policies in 22 countries.

A research project commissioned by by UNICEF Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia (ECARO)
exploring the age-related legislation that affects children, adolescents and young people.
Download the full PDF-report here.

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survey data*

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Country Age of majority Minimum age of criminal responsibility Minimum age to seek redress in court Minimum age for voting in federal elections Minimum age for candidacy (lower house) in national or federal elections Minimum age for different sex marriage (without consent) male Minimum age for different sex marriage (without consent) female Minimum age for admission to full-time employment End of mandatory schooling/ minimum school leaving age Minimum age to seek independent medical advice Minimum age to decide independently about medical treatment or surgery Minimum age of consent to sexual relationships (different sex) Minimum age to participate in hostilities
Albania 18 14 16 18 18 18 18 16 16' n.d. n.d. 14 19
Armenia 18 14 18' 18 25 18 18 16 16 18 18 16 15
Azerbaijan 18' 14 14 18 25 18 18 15' 17 18 18 16 15
Belarus 18 14 14 18 21 18 18 14* 17 14 14' 16 18
Bosnia & Herzegovina 18' 14 14+' 18 18 18 18 15 15 n.d. n.d. 14 18
Bulgaria 18 14 14* 18 21 18 18 16 16 16 <18* 14 n.d.
Croatia 18 14 16 18 18 18 18 15 15 16 16' 15 n.d.
Georgia 18 14 14 18 21 18 18 16' 15 18' 18' 16 18
Kazakhstan 18 14 14 18 25 18 18 16 18 18 18' 16 18
Kosovo 18 14 14 18 18 18 18 15 15 n.d. unclear 16 n.a.
Kyrgyzstan 18 14 14 18 21 18 18 16' 15 unclear 16 16 18
Macedonia 18 14 16 18 18 18 18 15* 16 18 18 14 18
Moldova 18 14 14 18 18 18 18 16' 18 16' 16 16 18
Montenegro 18 14 16 18 18 18 18 15+ 15 n.d. 15+ 14 18
Romania 18 14+ 18 18 23 18 18 16' 17 18 18 15 n.d.
Russia 18 14 14 18 21 18 18 15 18' 15 15+' 16 18
Serbia 18' 14 10 18 18 18 18 15+ 14 0+ 15+ 14 18
Tajikistan 18 14 14 18 25 18 18 15 16 16 18 16 18
Turkey 18' 12 18' 18 30 17 17 15' 14' unclear 18' 15 18
Turkmenistan 18 14 unclear 18 25 18 18 16' 18 18' 18' 16 18
Ukraine 18 14 14 18 21 18 18 16' 17 14 18' 16 18
Uzbekistan 18 13 14 18 25 18 17 16 14 14 14 16 18

* Source: National legislation and CRC reporting evaluated by YPL for UNICEF. Data on Albania, Kosovo, Russia and Turkey is to be verified. The EU Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) has kindly provided information on Bulgaria, Croatia, Romania collected by their interdisciplinary research network FRANET. This data is provisional. For exceptions, explanations and further information, please see the full table available for download in Excel. Click here to see Notation system.

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