The Right of the Child to Express Opinion: Content, Procedure and Limits of Implementation

The right of a child to express his opinion has been enshrined in the Convention on the Rights of the Child for more than 30 years and in the Family Code of the Russian Federation for more than 20 years, but there is no uniformity of opinions in the doctrine regarding the procedure and method of exercising this right. Currently, there is a need to realize the right of the child to express his opinion as the legal right to family life. The purpose of the article is to develop conceptual ideas about the content, procedure and limits of the implementation of the child’s right to express his opinion. The achievement of this goal is conditioned by the solution of such tasks as determining the meaning of the child’s expression of his opinion, highlighting significant elements of the procedure for exercising the child’s right to express his opinion. The author applied such research methods as analysis, synthesis, structural and functional analysis, historical and comparative legal analysis. The article defines the content of the child’s right to express his opinion and its elements, identifies the specifics of the order and method, as well as the limits of the exercise of the right under consideration. The author explains the significance of the conscious-volitional element in the choice of behavior within the framework of the exercise of subjective family rights; draws attention to the formation of the child’s opinion and its significance in resolving any issues affecting the interests of the child in the family; highlights significant elements of hearing and taking into account the child’s opinion that affect the process of its formation. The author proposes a general rule that reveals the meaning of the opinion of the child, namely, the identification of the child’s interest in the consideration of family matters; special cases are considered when the child’s opinion has legally significant consequences. The author summarizes that the legal regulation in terms of consolidating the procedure for «hearing the child’s opinion during any court session or administrative proceedings» requires sectoral detail.

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