From birth, every citizen of the country is endowed with certain rights and obligations. If the child’s infancy implies complete dependence on parents, then as they grow older, the list of rights of a growing person increases, but the range of responsibilities also expands. This article will help to understand who these young children are, to what age this period lasts, the basic legal guarantees available to the child and his parents, legal representatives are also considered.
Age periods of development
The Constitution of the Russian Federation clearly prescribes the definition of the concept of a child as a citizen who has not reached the age of majority, that is, 18 years of age, and distinguishes 2 age periods from a legal point of view:
- From birth to 14 years. The law’s spelling of the age at which children are considered to be minors makes it possible to determine its status and indicate incapacity before the law. That is, during this period, his legal representatives act on behalf of the child - both parents, one of them, guardians, adoptive parents.
- From 14 to 18 years. During this period, the child is a minor. The scope of his rights and obligations is changing, he is endowed with partial legal capacity. Upon reaching the age of 18, a citizen loses the status of a child and becomes an adult.
The legal definition of “young child”
In order for the rights and obligations of the child to be legally regulated, there are special legal articles that prescribe the definition of concepts relating to children:
- Article 54 of the Family Code of the Russian Federation - “A child is a person under the age of 18”.
- Article 28 of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation is defined with the concept of the age of a minor child - "... a minor under the age of 14 years."
- Article 28 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation defines the concept of a parent as a person obligated to take care of a child.
The rights of young children
Children from an early age need to instill the concept of a citizen, tell him about his rights, and in a clear and accessible form to convey information that, along with adults, he should bear certain types of responsibility. Children's rights can be divided into several types: property, non-property and age-dependent. Let us consider each of them in more detail.
Property rights include the following:
- material content from parents, other family members;
- benefits prescribed by law, including maternity capital;
- own income, property acquired on them;
- cohabitation with parents, co-ownership of common property.
Non-property rights include:
- possession of a surname, name, patronymic;
- the opportunity to get education in preschool, secondary, special, higher educational institutions;
- health protection;
- family life and communication with relatives;
- organization of rest and leisure;
- expression of one’s own opinion;
- observance of interests and protection of rights.
Age is another criterion that affects the increase and expansion of children's rights:
- At 2 months, the newborn has the right to preschool education.
- From the age of 6, a child has the right to make small household transactions aimed at receiving gratuitous benefits and independently dispose of funds provided to him by his parents or legal representatives.
- 6.5 years is the age when a child has the right to primary education at school.
- A child may independently join children's public associations at the age of 8 years.
Are you interested in how young children in the Russian Federation cannot express their opinion? Up to 10 years. But after they have the right to:
- expression of one’s opinion in solving family problems affecting his interests;
- decide which of the parents he wants to live with after the divorce;
- to agree or not to change their surname, name, patronymic;
- participate in the restoration of parental rights;
- to agree or not with his adoption, transfer to a foster family, appointment of a guardian.
Summing up, it can be argued that the child acquires the rights as they grow older, in stages. At a young age, he has the right to life and liberty, personal inviolability and social protection, name and citizenship, family and education, primary assistance and protection, to express his opinion and enjoy property rights.
Obligations of young children
The next question that needs to be clarified concerns the age at which young children have no responsibilities. In general, the entire period from 0 to 14 runs under the motto “More rights and fewer responsibilities”. However, the first legal obligations appear in the child at the moment when he begins to attend primary school. Preschool children are assigned responsibilities by parents and other family members. Here we should talk about respect for elders and household chores, to which the child must be taught as early as possible. And from 6.5 to 7 years the child has the following legal obligations:
- daily school attendance;
- compliance with the charter of the school, which spells out all the rights and obligations of students and teachers;
- participation in the educational process, homework;
- Respect for school property (parents should remember that they are directly responsible for damage to school property);
- compliance with the rules of the school;
- respect for the honor and dignity of all members of the school community.
Parent Responsibilities
Since children under the age of 14 are considered to be minors, during this period their parents and legal representatives are responsible for them. They have the following responsibilities towards children:
- material;
- educational;
- health saving;
- educational.
Own representation of all parental responsibilities is not enough, they are clearly regulated by relevant laws and their non-compliance entails administrative or criminal liability.
Getting a passport at age 14
Upon reaching a child of 14 years of age, that is, at the moment when the concept of "minor" loses its legal force, he is obliged to obtain a Russian passport. The deadline for receiving the document is limited to 30 days from the date of birth. The child must have Russian citizenship. The list of documents required for processing the document is as follows:
- original birth certificate;
- proof of citizenship;
- 2 photos;
- receipt for payment of state. duties;
- application for a passport.
The answer to the question: “How old are young children?” Can be rephrased as follows: until they receive a passport.
Adolescence
The onset of adolescence from a physiological point of view occurs at 12 years old. Lawyers have their own definition. To the question of how old the child is under the law, each lawyer will answer - until 14. And after that he becomes under the law a minor teenager. A teenager receives a passport, can start official work with the establishment of a work book, open a bank account and a card in his name, receive non-cash wages, go to court, participate in privatization. For illegal actions he is awaiting administrative and criminal liability.
Adulthood
In different world communities, the understanding of how young children are can vary significantly.Thus, adulthood occurs in different states in different ways: somewhere around 19, and somewhere around 21. In the Russian Federation, a child becomes an adult at 18. He is recognized as fully competent and independently responsible for his actions before the law. Can use all the rights and obligations of an adult: buy alcohol and tobacco products and vote in elections, appear on the street at night without accompanying adults and bear administrative or criminal responsibility for misconduct, work full time and enter into inheritance rights. It is very important to have comprehensive information about your rights and obligations, to be a competent and responsible citizen.
Constitutional legal status of minors
In the Republic of Kazakhstan, both the minor age of the child and the minor are clearly spelled out. The legal meaning of the term “juvenile” implies involvement in a separate category of entities with a special special constitutional legal status. Understanding the need for special treatment of young children has been carried out for millennia: starting with the identification of the child with the thing, passing through the red thread through violence against him, often leading to irreversible consequences. Finally, it gradually led to the realization that only a humane attitude towards children can form the best human qualities in them, and, accordingly, will lead to the progressive development of all mankind. The provision of special constitutional and legal status to minors, their identification in a special group protected by the state, refers to the creation of a special type of public relations for the protection of the rights, freedoms and legitimate interests of minors and minor children. They are engaged in juvenile justice.
A little bit about responsibility
Responsibility is the desire and ability to take on such obligations that allow you to live your own life, take care of yourself. Responsibility happens:
- civilian;
- administrative
- criminal.
No type of responsibility can be identified with each other, each of them has its own specifics. Knowing how old children are under the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, one can judge what responsibilities they have to the state and society. As they grow older, the scope of the rights of the child increases, the responsibility for their observance increases. Parental responsibility is inversely proportional to his growing up, that is, the older the child, the less parents are responsible for him and his actions.
Child Rights Laws
The rights of the child are determined not only by the laws of a particular country, but also are prescribed by international regulatory documents. The basic laws on children's rights in the Russian Federation are described in the following laws:
- Constitution of the Russian Federation. It provides childhood, motherhood and the family as a whole with state protection and support.
- Family Code of the Russian Federation. It prescribes how old the child is under the age of, provides for the observance of his rights to life, name, family, expression of his own opinion and much more.
- Law No. 124-FZ. It speaks of a guaranteed settlement of the fundamental rights of the child.
- Convention on the Rights of the Child. Effective since its adoption on November 20, 1989.
- Declaration on the Rights of the Child. It was proclaimed on November 20, 1959 by the Resolution of the UN General Assembly. It establishes 10 principles that must be followed in order for children to have a happy childhood.