Інтереси дитини як фактор пізнання прав дитини: теоретико-правовий аспект

Abstract

Здійснено аналіз інтересів дитини як чинника, який допомагає пов’язувати сутність і зміст прав дитини. З’ясовано етимологію слова «інтерес», проведено детальний аналіз чинного законодавства, зокрема, Конституції України та Сімейного кодексу України щодо використання терміна «інтерес дитини», «законний інтерес дитини». Проаналізовано правові норми, згруповано та виокремлено п’ять блоків. Проаналізовані правові приписи дозволили зробити висновок про те, що чинне законодавство переважно не бачить у дитині людини, що може висловити свої інтереси. Більш того, якщо дитина і висловлює власне бачення розвитку свого життя, то суд може знехтувати цією думкою, зважаючи на власне розуміння інтересів цієї конкретної дитини.

The article analyzes the interests of the child as a factor contributing to linking the essence and contents of the rights of the child. The etymology of the word “interest” is clarified, a detailed analysis of the current legislation, in particular, the Constitution of Ukraine and the Family Code of Ukraine as to the use of the term “child's interest”, “the legitimate interest of the child” is conducted. The analyzed legal rules are grouped and five blocks are separated: the first group consists of the norms concerning the provision of the interests of the child irrespective of the subject of provision (without its concretization); the second group is formed of the norms concerning the provision of the interests of the child by his/her parents, guardians, trustees, adopters, and other family members; the third group consists of the norms concerning the provision of the interests of the child by the authorities of guardianship; the fourth group is formed of the norms, which are about ensuring the interests of the child by the court; the fifth group is composed of the norms concerning the provision of the child's interests by the child himself/herself. There is a collisional moment: according to part 3 of Art. 171 of the Family Code of Ukraine, when resolving disputes between parents, other persons about his/her upbringing, place of residence, including settling disputes about deprivation of parental rights, renewal of parental rights, as well as a dispute regarding the management of his/her property, the court has the right to decide against the child's opinion, if his/her interests required so. The given prescriptions (both quantitative and qualitative characteristics as to each group,) made it possible to conclude that the current legislation does not see a personality in a child who can express his or her interests. Moreover, if the child expresses his or her own vision of the direction of the development of his or her life, then the court may ignore this thought, given its own understanding of the interests of this particular child. This approach, in our opinion, somewhat reduces the essence of the rights of the child and, in particular, the right of the child to free development of his/her personality.