国际人权公约在我国法院的适用——以“儿童最大利益”条款为切入点

The Application of International Human Rights Conventions in China Courts——the Best Interests of the Child as Entry Point

我国法院在判决书中主动援引国际人权公约的五个案件全部涉及《儿童权利公约》第3条规定的"儿童最大利益"条款,该条款经儿童权利委员会具体化后具有了更强的司法适用性。我国法院适用这一条款的方式既有直接适用,也有间接适用,其中直接适用因缺乏明确的法律依据逐渐被间接适用所取代。法院援引"儿童最大利益"条款不是作为判决依据,而是为司法推理提供支持或者为判决结果提供更强的确认,这种灵活性使其成为法院当前和未来一段时间内更乐于接受的适用方式。当然,由于我国法院对国际人权公约的适用尚处于起步阶段,援引公约条款的案件数量和事项范围都有待增加,适用公约条款的解释和推理技术也有待提高。

China courts refer to the provision of best interests of the child stipulated in Article 3(1)of the Convention of the Rights of the Child(CRC)in five judgments.The clause becomes more explicit and can be applied by courts after it is interpreted by the Committee on the Rights of the Child(CRC).China courts apply the clause directly and indirectly.The direct application is replaced gradually by indirect application due to its lack of a clear legal basis.The best interests of the child is not used as judgment basis,but to provide support for judicial reasoning or provide stronger confirmation for the verdict.The flexibility makes indirect application more acceptable by the courts.Of course,because the judicial application of the international human rights conventions in China just begins,the quantity and scope of the cases citing the human rights conventions need to be increased,and the interpretation and reasoning technology also needs to be improved.