Abstract
This paper explores unpredictability and inconsistencies of divorce case laws with regard to the implementation of the child best interest. The best interest of the child is a legal standard which remains unspecified despite the fact that it is recognized in International and domestic laws. Decision-makers including judges are required to give a paramount consideration to the best interest of the child in their decision-making process. Practically, judges use their discretion to determine what is in the child’s best interest in the child’s custody, support, and visitation right arrangements in divorce cases given that no guidelines were set up to ease their task. This paper outlines international conventions and domestic laws providing the best interest of the child as a legal norm and analyses case law in order to materialize the reality of the issue in relation to courts’ practices in interpreting the best interest of the child. Most of case laws explored are characterized by lack of motivation of facts; unfairness in determination of child support, lack of determination of conditions and modalities of visitation right. This explains unpredictability of Courts’ decisions with regard to child best interest. Thus, clear and fair guiding factors need to be established in order to promote individual child welfare balanced with interest of others in the family.
Main Text: View PDF Download PDF
References
INTERNATIONAL CONVENTIONS
1. United Nation Convention on protection of the Rights of the Child of 20/11/1989, ratified by the Presidential Order nO773/16 of 13/9/1991.
2. United Nation Convention on Protection of Children and Cooperation in respect of Inter-country Adoption of 29/05/1993, ratified by the Presidential Order nO24/01 of 07/05/2010.
3. United Nation Convention on Rights of persons with disabilities.
4. African Charter on rights and welfare of the Child of 11/06/1990, ratified by the Presidential Order nO11/01 of 30/05/2001.
DOMESTIC LAWS
1. Constitution of the Republic of Rwanda of 2003 revised in 2015, Official Gazette nO special of 24/12/2015.
3. Law NO 71/2018 of 31/08/2018 relating to the protection of the child, Official Gazette nO 37 bis of 10/09/2018.
5. Law Nº 32/2016 of 28/8/2016 governing persons and family, Official Gazette nO6 of 12/09/2016.
7. Law Nº 001/2020 of 20/02/2020 amending the law nO32/2016 of 28/08/2016governing persons and family Official Gazette nO 06 of 17/02/2020.
8. Law Nº 27/2016 of 08/07/2016 governing matrimonial regimes, donations and successions, Official Gazette nO31 of 01/08/2016.
10. Law NO 22/2018 of 29/04/2018 relating to civil, commercial, labor and administrative procedures, Official Gazette nO Special of 29/04/2018.
BOOKS
1. Harry D. Krause, Family law in nutshell, 3rd edition, Illinois West Publishing, July, 1995
2. Jill Black, Jane bridge & Tina Bond, A practical Approach to Family law, 7th ed. 2004
3. Jonathan Herring, Family Law, fourth edition, London, Pearson Longman, 4th edition 2009.
4. Mary Welstead &Susan Edwards, Family law, Second edition, Oxford, 2007.
5. WIlliam P. S tatsky, Family law, the essentials, Second edition, New York, Thomson Delmar Learning, 2004.
6. Republic of Rwanda, Supreme Court, Leading Cases Arising from Civil Court in Rwanda, Family law, Administrative Law & Labor Law, Volume 2, November 2017.
CASE LAWS
1. Nº RCAA 0134/15/HC/NY of 30/06/2016, Ndizihiwe v Mukamwezi.
2. Nº RC 00049/2017/TB KGO of 11/01/2018 Ntihabose v Kuradusenge.
3. Nº RCOO63/TB/KCY, Bizimana v Habiyambere.
4. Nº RCA 0040/11/TGI/NYGE of 30/6/2011 Gashumba v Valois.
5. Nº RCA OO74/12/TGI/GSBO of 18/01/2013 Uwidutije v Harindimana.
6. Nº RC OOO52/17/TB/KGO of 30/11/2017, Uwanjye v Ndagijimana.
7. Nº RC 00051/2016//TB/BY of 30/06 2017, Sediki v Majyambere.
8. Nº RC 0106/2016/TB/BY of 28/02/2017, Kuradusenge v Salehe.
9. Nº RC 0126/2016 TTB/BY of 30/06/2017, Karikumutima v Nkomeje.
10. Nº RC 0277/15/TB/NGOMA of 18/05/201, Nyiramruta v Ndayambaje.
11. Nº RCA O207/15/TGI/NYBE of 13/03/2016, Nkubito v Mukamana.
12. Nº RC 00075/2017/TB/KGO, Muhire v Muhimpundu.
13. Nº RC00049/2017/TB/KGO of 11/1/2018, Ntihabose v Kuradusenge.
14. Nº RC00057/2017/TB/KGO of 8/2/2018, Mushimiyimana v Ngayaberura Fidele.
15. Nº RC00051/2017/TB/KGO of 17/12/2017, Mukakabera v Bizimana.
16. Nº RC00011/2017/TB/Gas of 15/2/2018, Primary Court of Gasaka, Umufasha v Kubana,
17. Nº RC 0053/16/TB/KINIH of 23/6/2016, Uwamariya v Hategekimana.
18. Re T and E, [1995] 1FLR 581, [1995] 3 FCR 260. Birmingham City Council v H(a minor), [1994] 2 AC 212.,
19. Strydom v Strydom, Case nO AR 598/2018 South African High Court of KwaZulu Natal, Pietermaritzburg
20. Nº RC0373/10/TB/NGOMA of 25/10/2010 Kayitesi v Sebagarambyi.
21. Nº RC0716/11/TB/Nyab of 16/3/2012, Murebwayire v Harerimana.
22. MS v NWB Case nO 46820/201, the High Court of South Africa (North Gauteng, Pretoria)
23. NO RC 00136/2017/TB/KCY, of 24/05/2017, Kabera v Maima.
24. NO RC 00714/2016/TB/KCY of 21/04/2016, Murwanashyaka v Uwera.
25. NO 0325/2015/TB.GIS of 24/2/2016, Mushimiyimana v Mbahungirehe.
26. NO RC 0390/15/TB/MUH of 04/04/2017, Nyirabagirinka v Ngerageze.
27. NO RC 00793/2016/TB/KCY of 20/04/2017, Musirimu v Umutoni
ELECTRONIC SOURCES
1. Nadia D., “Best Interest of the Child Principle in the Context of Parent Separation or Divorce as Conceptualized by the Community”, Edith Cowan University, 2014, at 20, http://ro.ecu.edu.au./theses/1463, accessed on 10/6/2018.
2. Jean Zermatten, “Best Interest of the Child, Literal Analysis, Function and Implementation”, Working Report, 2010, at 6, accessed on 04/ 05/2018, https://www. childsrights.org/documents/publications/wr/wr_best-interest-child2009.pdf
3. Yvonne Dausab, “The best Interest of the Child”, http://www.kas.de/upload/ auslandshomepages/namibia/Children_Rights/Children_h.pdf, accessed on 12/1/2021.
4. Mélanie Chatenoud, “Best Interest of the Child”, https://www.humanium.org/en/ the-childs-best-interest/, accessed on 20/11/2020.
5. X. “Best Interest of the Child Law and Legal Definition”, https://definitions.uslegal. com/b/best-interest-of-the-child/; accessed on 23/10/2020.WHO, “Breastfeeding”, https://www.who.int/health-topics/breastfeeding#tab=tab_1, accessed on 23/10/2020.