Position of the Child in Divorce Proceedings

Veliki broj djece koja danas odrastaju imaju iskustvo procesa rastave braka svojih roditelja. Razvodom završava brak roditelja no to ne znači kraj djetetove obitelji. Potrebe djeteta koje se javljaju tijekom i nakon razvoda roditelja imaju veliku važnost stoga je bitno kako će se im se u ovim postupcima pristupiti. Obiteljskopravno uređenje Republike Hrvatske od osamostaljenja države, prošlo je niz promjena u smijeru jačanja i zaštite prava djece u postupcima razvoda braka njihovih roditelja. Za niz promjena u ovom smjeru u obiteljskopravnom zakonodavstvu RH, zaslužna je Konvencija o pravima djeteta koja je donesena od strane Opće skupštine Ujedinjenih naroda 1989. Konvencija se smatra temeljnim i najvažnijim međunarodnim dokumentom kojim se ističu i štite dječja prava. Reguliranjem djetetovih prava i isticanjem brojnih načela kao što je načelo najboljeg interesa djeteta uz implementaciju njezinih odredbi u nacionalna zakonodavstava, Konvencija postiže niz revizija obiteljskopravnih zakonodavstava i podiže razinu svijesti o dječjim pravima općenito. Republika Hrvatska zajedno s ostalim europskim krugom država svakim danom bilježi sve veću stopu razvoda brakova o čemu govore podaci Državnog zavoda za statistiku ističući da je i veliki broj djece „pogođen“ ovim postupkom. Revizijom obiteljskopravnog zakonodavstva 2014.,2015. godine uvode se instituti i mjere kojima se ovaj postupak želi olakšati kako roditeljima tako i djeci a prvenstveno u cilju zaštite djece tj. njihova najboljeg interesa. Najbolji interes djeteta postavljen je u zajedničkom ostvarivanju roditeljske skrbi, što bi predstavljao razvod braka sporazumom roditelja, smanjenju sukoba i manipulativnih ponašanja roditelja. Obiteljski zakon u tome smislu uvodi plan o zajedničkoj roditeljskoj skrbi, obvezno savjetovanje, obiteljsku medijaciju, posebnog skrbnika djetetu... Ističući time pravo djeteta na život s roditeljima, pravo na informacije, na izražavanje mišljenja i uzimanje istog u obzir, od strane suda, centra za socijalnu skrb ili posebnog skrbnika u postupku. Jedan od najizraženijih problema koji se javljaju u ovim postupcima je manipulacija djecom od strane roditelja. Roditelji često nisu u mogućnosti racionalno razmišljati te se vode ljutnjom, boli, inatom, željom za osvetom tj. pokleknu pred navalom mnogih emocija, zanemare interes vlastitog djeteta i upuste se u „rat preko djece“. Uloga države u zaštiti djece tada dolazi na vidjelo. Republika Hrvatska iako tek nedavno napravila je veliki iskorak u tom smijeru.Today a large number of children who are growing up have experience of the divorce process of their parents. Marriage ends with the parents’ divorce, but that does not mean that it is the end of the child's family. The needs of children that occur during and after the divorce of parents are of great importance therefore it is essential how they will be approached in these proceedings. The family law constitution of the Republic of Croatia, since the independence of the state, has gone through a series of changes aimed at strengthening and protecting the rights of children in divorce proceedings of their parents. For a number of changes in this direction, in the family law of the Republic of Croatia, the Convention on the Rights of the Child has been awarded by the United Nations General Assembly in 1989. The Convention is considered to be the fundamental and most important international document highlighting and protecting children's rights. By regulating the rights of the child and by emphasizing numerous principles such as the principle of the best interests of the child, with the implementation of its provisions in national legislation, the Convention achieves a series of revisions of family law legislation and raising awareness of children's rights in general. The Republic of Croatia, together with the other European countries, has recorded an increasing rate of divorce each day, as reported by the Central Bureau of Statistics, pointing out that a large number of children were "hit" by this procedure. By revision of Family Law Legislation 2014, 2015 the institutes and measures are introduced to help this process both for parents and children, primarily for the purpose of protecting children, that is their best interests. The child's best interest is set in the joint realization of parental care, which would represent parents' divorce by their agreement, conflict reduction and manipulative behavior of parents. In this sense, the Family Law introduces a plan for joint parental care, mandatory counseling, family mediation, special guardianship for a child ... Emphasizing the right of the child to a life with parents, the right to information, to express their opinions and to take them into account by the court, a social care center or a special guardian in the proceedings. One of the most highlighted problems that arise in these proceedings is the manipulation of children by their parents. Parents are often unable to think rationally and are led by anger, pain, defiance, desire for vengeance, i.e. they stumble in front of many emotions, neglecting the interests of their own child, and engaging in "war through children". The role of the state in children’s protection then comes to light. The Republic of Croatia has only recently made a big step forward in that direction