The Standard of the Best Interests of the Child: A Western Tradition in International and Comparative Law

This text examines the application of the standard of the best interests of the child in the context of international law. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child recognises the best interests standard as being one of its guiding principles. The question of whether the best interests standard succeeds in reaching this goal is the central theme of this book. The point of departure for this analysis is that of the best interest standard being a Western notion based on an idea of the child as an innocent in need of protection. However, difficulties arise when the best interests standard has to be applied to a child who does not fit these criteria. Consideration is then given to the malleability of the standard which allows it to overcome such difficulties and to justify its position as one of the guiding principles underpinning children’s rights at the domestic and international level.