The biological link to your parent or your child is an aspect of your personal identity. Therefore, the right to have it legally recognised is protected as a part of the human right to a private and family life.
Legal recognition of parenthood
The right to a private life requires that you should be able to establish details of your identity, which also includes the legal recognition of your parent-child relationship. Filiation is also related to a child’s right to know their origins.
Legal recognition of the biological parent-child relationship creates mutual rights and obligations for both sides. These rights and obligations cover various aspects of their relationship, from the right to contact each other, to the obligation to contribute to the child’s maintenance.
Persons who may initiate paternity proceedings
As a mother or a father, you have an interest in establishing a biological link and developing a relationship with your child. You may also wish to ensure that the parenthood of the other biological parent is legally recognised.
If the legal representative of a minor child fails to contest paternity in due time, the child may contest filiation from their father in person as an adult.
Paternity proceedings
Paternity proceedings are designed to determine and legally establish the biological relationship between a father and a child.
important In practice, these proceedings are mostly connected with the recognition of paternity.
About this section
In this section, you can read about the recognition of paternity, paternity proceedings, as well as various human rights issues that are raised by the legal recognition of paternity.
Read more about: