Ensuring the Childís Right to Communication With Both Parents in the Context of Parental Divorce: A Lithuanian Case Study

Abstract

Reflecting on the Sustainable Development Agenda 2030, which emphasises that progress in sustainable development depends on ensuring prosperity, and in line with the Sustainable Development Goal 3, which aims to promote the well-being of all age groups, including children, this study aims to examine the childís legitimate right to communicate with both parents in the context of divorce and support arrangements. Filling the gaps in previous research, our research problem is focused on analysing the impact on sustainability, the childís emotional well-being and the protection of the childís rights in the situation of parental divorce. Following the emergent approach, an instrumental case study design and a qualitative research strategy were employed using methods such as content analysis of legal documents and semi-structured interviews. The research questions addressed two dimensions of the analysis: the factors contributing to the exercise of the childís right to communicate with the separated parent; and violations of the childís rights where the childís right to communicate with both parents is not properly ensured or not at all ensured. The results of this study reveal that the parent living with the child after the divorce acts contrary to the best interests of the child, denying the childís inherent right to be raised and educated by both parents.