18 years old is the age of majority in most Western countries (apart from some Canadian or US states where it is 19 or 21). In Asian countries it is usually 20 (Japan, Thailand) or 21 (Malaysia, Singapore). This makes it special in itself, because it means that someone has reached the official threshold of adulthood, which means that they are free to act without their parents' consent, sign contracts (e.g. job) by themselves, vote at elections...
But in Belgium, turning 18 means much more than that.
Like in the rest of Europe (except UK and Ireland), but contrarily to the USA, 18 is also the legal age to obtain a driving licence.
Belgium being one of the rare countries with compulsory voting at elections, 18 does not only become the age when one can vote, but when one must vote (if elections are held that year, but chances are quite high with all the levels of government in Belgium).
Belgium is also one of the few countries to have compulsory education until the age of 18. So not only do 18-year-olds become "free" from the the tutoring of their parents, but also free to quit school if they want.
One major difference with other countries is that criminal responsibility (different from the legal responsibility conferred by majority) in Belgium is also set at 18 years old, contrarily to the vast majority of countries around the world where it is almost always lower (as young as 6 years old in some US states). This means that if a 17-year old Belgian kills someone, commit a arson or robbery, etc., he or she is not considered responsible of their acts, and thus cannot be sentenced by a criminal court, and will usually be purely and simply acquitted. I personally think that this is abusive and the age should be set around 14 or 15, if not lower.
18 used to be the age for compulsory military service for men, but this was abolished in the early 1990's.
There are a few legal rights which do not coincide with the age of 18 thanks to Belgium's permissive laws, such as the right to buy or drink alcohol (no legal age), buy tobacco (16 years old, although there is no legal age for smoking), or have a bank card (12 years old). The legal age of sexual consent and marriage is 16 both for boys and girls.
In brief, the age of 18 in Belgium is synonymous with :
- legal adulthood/majority
- legal responsibility
- criminal responsibility
- right and obligation to vote
- right to be elected (except for Senate)
- legal age for driving
- minimum age to stop school
The bold indicate what makes 18 very special in Belgium compared to the rest of the world, and especially the rest of Europe.
But in Belgium, turning 18 means much more than that.
Like in the rest of Europe (except UK and Ireland), but contrarily to the USA, 18 is also the legal age to obtain a driving licence.
Belgium being one of the rare countries with compulsory voting at elections, 18 does not only become the age when one can vote, but when one must vote (if elections are held that year, but chances are quite high with all the levels of government in Belgium).
Belgium is also one of the few countries to have compulsory education until the age of 18. So not only do 18-year-olds become "free" from the the tutoring of their parents, but also free to quit school if they want.
One major difference with other countries is that criminal responsibility (different from the legal responsibility conferred by majority) in Belgium is also set at 18 years old, contrarily to the vast majority of countries around the world where it is almost always lower (as young as 6 years old in some US states). This means that if a 17-year old Belgian kills someone, commit a arson or robbery, etc., he or she is not considered responsible of their acts, and thus cannot be sentenced by a criminal court, and will usually be purely and simply acquitted. I personally think that this is abusive and the age should be set around 14 or 15, if not lower.
18 used to be the age for compulsory military service for men, but this was abolished in the early 1990's.
There are a few legal rights which do not coincide with the age of 18 thanks to Belgium's permissive laws, such as the right to buy or drink alcohol (no legal age), buy tobacco (16 years old, although there is no legal age for smoking), or have a bank card (12 years old). The legal age of sexual consent and marriage is 16 both for boys and girls.
In brief, the age of 18 in Belgium is synonymous with :
- legal adulthood/majority
- legal responsibility
- criminal responsibility
- right and obligation to vote
- right to be elected (except for Senate)
- legal age for driving
- minimum age to stop school
The bold indicate what makes 18 very special in Belgium compared to the rest of the world, and especially the rest of Europe.