A BRISTOL-BASED legal practice that specialises in child-focused family law is reminding parents to respect their children’s rights when they divorce/separate as part of World Children’s Day this month (November 2020).
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child says children aren’t just objects, belonging to their parents, for whom decisions are made, they’re human beings with their own rights.
Family barrister, Elizabeth McCallum, who co-founded the legal service, Children in the Middle®, with fellow barrister Sarah Evans, says: “We wanted to remind separating or divorcing parents of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child legal framework as part of World Children’s Day, which takes place on Friday, November 20.
“The Convention says childhood is separate from adulthood and lasts until age 18. It is a special, protected time, in which children must be allowed to grow, learn, play, develop and flourish with dignity. This is true for every child around the world and we are urging separating or divorcing couples to be mindful of this while going through the process of separation, and if they go on to court proceedings too.
“Within the family court system, it is actually the children who have rights, not the parents. The court will focus on the child’s best interest and with older children, they will want to know what they think and how they feel about certain decisions being made in their lives.
“Nonetheless, it is still for the parents, where possible, to make joint decisions and reach agreements about their children.
“We advise parents to always put their children first when considering a split with their partner. Children have had a lot to put up with recently including interference with their daily routines and worries about the Coronavirus. These concerns may already be playing on their minds, as well as any discussions they may have overheard parents having. They will potentially already be feeling insecure before you add in the people they love the most splitting up, so it’s always important to take into consideration their feelings and needs too and where possible, try to make decisions together as it will help protect their children from harmful parental conflict.”
World Children’s Day was first established in 1954 as Universal Children’s Day and is celebrated each year to promote international togetherness, awareness among children worldwide and improving children’s welfare.
The day falls on November 20 as this is the date in 1959 when the UN General Assembly adopted the Declaration of the Rights of the Child. It is also the date in 1989 when the UN General Assembly adopted the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Since 1990, World Children’s Day also marks the anniversary of the date that the UN General Assembly adopted both the Declaration and the Convention on children’s rights.
World Children’s Day offers everyone an opportunity to advocate, promote and celebrate children’s rights, translating into dialogues and actions that will build a better world for children.
This year marks the 30th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Children in the Middle® is one of the few legal services in the country offering people the chance to speak directly to barristers. In the past a solicitor was required to instruct a barrister, but due to rule changes under the Public Access Scheme, members of the public are now able to instruct barristers direct.
Elizabeth continues: “For almost all of our clients, their children are their main focus and they wish to make the separation impact on their children as little as possible.
“If you need help with sorting out the arrangements for the care of your children, get in touch with us. We are specialist barristers. There is no need for a solicitor – you can come direct to us, the experts.”
For further details, please call Children in the Middle® on 0117 214 1797. Alternatively, please visit www.childreninthemiddle.co.uk.
