Serbian family law: Rights of the child

Abstract

This paper deals with the rights of the child primarily in Serbian family law. According to Serbian Family Act 2005 the child at a certain age acquires some specifi c rights. For instance, at the age of fifteen if the child is able to reason he has these rights: to change a personal name, to get the information on his/her origins, to decide with which parent he/she will live, on maintaining personal contact with the parent he/she does not live with, the right to give consent to medical procedures, to decide which secondary school he/she will attend. The child has the right to freely express his or her opinion if the child is capable of forming an opinion. When reaches ten years of age the child has the right to freely and directly express his/her opinion. The Family Act of Serbia 2005 has introduced a special court proceeding in disputes for the protection of the child's rights. © 2009 Koninklijke Brill NV.