Child\u27s Best Interest as a Legal Standard in Family Law Matters

Otrok je vsako človeško bitje, ki je mlajše od 18 let. Na takšni definiciji otroka temeljijo slovenska zakonodaja in mednarodni pravni viri. Predvsem zaradi svoje starosti in s tem povezane neizkušenosti, nezrelosti ter ranljivosti velja, da otrok potrebuje zaščito, varstvo in pomoč. Intenziteta zaščite otrok, pomen njihovih pravic in vsebina so se z leti ter vzporedno z razvojem družbe spreminjali. Otrok je postal subjekt, ki mu pripadajo lastne pravice. V trenutno veljavni zakonodaji lahko najdemo različne pravne institute, ki otroka varujejo v številnih življenjskih situacijah, v katerih se lahko znajde. Pri vseh dejavnostih, ki neposredno ali posredno zadevajo otroka, ne glede na to, ali jih vodijo državne ali zasebne ustanove za socialno varstvo, sodišča, upravni organi ali zakonodajna telesa, mora biti načelo otrokove največje koristi glavno vodilo. Gre za pravni standard, ki ga je potrebno zapolniti v vsakem konkretnem primeru. Upoštevati je treba okoliščine, ki posamezni primer opredeljujejo ter ga konkretizirajo. Najpomembnejši mednarodno pravni dokument, ki se dotika vprašanja otrokovih pravic ter izrecno uveljavlja načelo otrokove največje koristi kot vodilo pri odločanju v zadevah, ki se tičejo otrok, je Konvencija Združenih narodov o otrokovih pravicah. Sklicevanje na to izredno pomembno načelo najdemo še v številnih drugih pravnih aktih, mednarodnih in nacionalnih razsežnosti. Zaradi nedoločenosti tega pravnega standarda se sodniki, strokovni delavci in drugi v praksi velikokrat srečujejo s težavami pri njegovi opredelitvi. Kot vodilo otrokove koristi jim predstavljajo določena splošna pravna načela, otrokove pravice, pravice in dolžnosti staršev ter drugi instituti prava, ki otroka skušajo zaščititi ter mu nuditi vso potrebno varstvo.A child is a human being who is less than 18 years old. This is the core definition of a child according to both the Slovene legislature and international sources of law. Especially due to the age–related inexperience, immaturity and vulnerability, a child needs protection, safety and help. The intensity of child protection, the meaning and content of children’s rights have changed over the years. This modification has been parallel to the development of the society. The child has become the subject with their own rights. The current legislature provides us with various legal institutes protecting a child in different life situations in which the minor may find themselves. The child’s best interest needs to serve as the paramount guiding principle at all activities that are directly, or indirectly, related to the child, regardless of whether these activities are carried out by public or private institutions for social security, courts, administrative or legislative bodies. It is the legal principle that needs to be implemented in each case. Additionally, the circumstances that specify and concretise each individual case are to be taken into account each time. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child is the most important international legal document which deals with children’s rights issues and explicitly points out the principle of child’s best interest as the touchstone of decision-making in legal matters dealing with children. Numerous legal acts, both national and international, call upon this paramount principle as well. Due to the lack of definitory character of the child’s best interest principle, judges, professional workers and others dealing with it face many problems at determining its exact nature in practice. They rely upon certain general legal principles, children’s rights, rights and obligations of parents and other legal institutes that seek to protect children and offer them all the necessary safety