Tag Archives: The child’s best interests

About the principle “the child’s best interests”

“The child’s best interest” is a central concept in family law, and the interpretation of the principle can have wideranging consequences.

Trude Haugli writes in the book “Convention on the Rights of the Child, Children’s Rights in Norway” from Universitetsforlaget 2012, 2nd edition by Njål Høstmælingen, Elin Saga Kjørholt and Kirsten Sandberg (eds.):

“Even though it is extraordinary that almost all of the nations of the world support the child’s best interest as a fundamental consideration regarding all actions that concern children, the principle has also received criticism.
A central question is whether the fundamental need for the principle disappears when the Convention recognises children’s rights, not just their interests.
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