India. In all 28 states and 8 union territories, a minor is referred to as someone under the
Adolescence (15-17 years old)
The Convention defines a "child" as a person below the age of 18, unless the relevant laws recognize an earlier age of majority.
About legal age in Australia
As your child grows up and becomes more independent, you might be wondering how old they need to be before they can do certain things. In Australia, you're considered to be an adult when you turn 18 years old.
The legal age for consensual sex varies between 16 and 17 years across Australian state and territory jurisdictions (see Table 2). For other sexual activities, the criminal legislation relating to different types of sexual behaviours and interactions varies across Australian jurisdictions.
It is a very serious offence to engage in sexual activity with anyone under 16 years of age, even if you are in a relationship and they agree, as the law says that they cannot consent. It is still illegal if you are both under 16 years of age. In this case, you could both be charged.
You are now in control of your life. The law says you are an adult and you don't need your parents' permission to do anything. You can: be taken to the adult courts if you break the law.
In Victoria, the age of consent is 16. If you are 16 years old and above, you can legally have sex (or do another sexual activity) with another person who is 16 years or older as long as you both agree to it.
The teenage years are also called adolescence. Adolescence is a time for growth spurts and puberty changes.
Adolescence is the phase of life between childhood and adulthood, from ages 10 to 19.
Section 13 of the Care and Protection of Children Act 2007 (NT) defines a child as a person less than 18 years of age, or a person apparently less than 18 years of age if the person's age cannot be proved.
Definitions of a child
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) defines a child as everyone under 18 unless, "under the law applicable to the child, majority is attained earlier".
The "tween years" can be challenging for both children and their parents. Young adolescents are continuing to explore their community and world and beginning to develop unique identities separate from their parents.
We define a child as anyone who has not yet reached their 18th birthday. This is in line with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and civil legislation in England and Wales.
Australia. In certain Australian states, some schools will offer a "Year 13' programme to students who wish to complete the usual one-year Year 12 programme over two years, or who were not successful in a sufficient number of subjects to attain the relevant Year 12 qualification on their first attempt.
It is sometimes the twelfth year of compulsory education, or alternatively a year of post-compulsory education. It usually incorporates students aged between 16 and 18, depending on the locality. It is also known as "senior year" in parts of Australia, where it is the final year of compulsory education.
There is no law about what age you can leave home, but your parents generally have to look after you until you're 18. The most important thing is you have a safe place to live.
In Australia, most people stay with their parents until they are at least 18 years old and your parents will remain your legal guardians until then. For more information about when you can legally leave home visit the Youth Law Australia website.
It is also a crime to engage in any sort of sexual activity with a child who is below the “age of consent”, whether they consent or not. In New South Wales, the age of consent is fixed by law at 16 for both heterosexual and homosexual sex.
A 14 or 15 year old can consent to sexual activity as long as the partner is less than five years older and there is no relationship of trust, authority or dependency or any other exploitation of the young person.
The lowest age of consent is in Nigeria (11) followed by the Philippines and Angola (12). The age of consent is 13 in four countries – Japan, Niger, Comoros and Burkina Faso.
It is not illegal to become pregnant at any age, and this includes making your own decisions about the pregnancy – abortion, adoption, keeping it. Nobody has legal rights over this decision but the pregnant woman.