Age of Majority

In Canada, a child is defined in terms of age. The age of majority is 18 or 19, depending on the province (see table below). The youngest a child can be is 0, that is to say a newborn.

PLEASE NOTE: Though a fetus can be abused either by the mother or some other person, it is not the intent of this site to debate whether or not a fetus is a person.

Although the term 'child' is often used synonymously with young children and youth, a child is defined as under the age of 12 years, whereas a youth or adolescent is defined as being between 12 - 19 (or 18, depending on the province). Child abuse law refers to anyone under the provincial legal age as a 'minor child'.

I've created this section based on a suggestion received from one of my visitors.

If you can provide me with the age that a child is considered an adult for your country, please use the form at the bottom of this page to inform me. Once I have the chance to verify the information, I will do my best to post it within a few business days.

Child Abuse Law pages on this site:

Child Abuse Law	Age of Majority	Duty to Report

Child abuse information pages on this site:

Abuse Headlines	History of Abuse
Sexual Abuse Signs	Child Abuse Stats
Sexual Abuse Effects	Emotional Abuse
Sexual Abuse Stats	Emotional Abuse Types
Sexual Abuse Victims	Emotional Abuse Signs
Male Victims	Emotional Abuse Effects
Female Victims	Bullying
Victims w/ Disability	Emotional Abuse Stats
Sexual Abuse Disclosures	Physical Abuse
Sex Offenders	Physical Abuse Signs
Male Sex Offenders	Abuse & Discipline
Female Sex Offenders	Physical Abuse Effects
Child Sex Offenders	Physical Abuse Stats
Adolescent Sex Offenders	Child Neglect
Incestuous Sex Offenders	Child Neglect Signs
Internet Sex Offenders	Child Neglect Effects
Child Abuse Law	Child Neglect Stats
Duty to Report	Poverty & Neglect
Abuse Intervention	Sexual Abuse
Abuse Prevention	Sexual Abuse Defined

Last revised August 4, 2007