The best interests of the child in “mixed” couples’ divorce in Belgium and the Netherlands: Filipino mothers’ socio-legal encounters about their children
Keywords:
Socio-legal encounters, divorce, best interests of the child, mixed couples, Filipino migrant women, Belgium, the Netherlands, Encuentros socio-jurídicos, interés superior del menor, parejas mixtas, mujeres filipinas migrantes, Bélgica, Países BajosAbstract
Studies on the marital break-up of “mixed couples” in which partners have different nationalities and/or ethnicities pay little attention to how individual partners, notably the one with a migration background, experience the law and institutions concerning their children. Drawing on ethnographic observations and interviews with Filipino women in Belgium and the Netherlands, this paper investigates these migrants’ socio-legal experiences to shed light on their children’s situation during the divorce process. Paying attention to the principle of the “best interests of the child”, data analyses reveal that the children of women experiencing problematic divorce and/or domestic violence have more direct encounters with laws and/or institutions than those whose parents separated on good terms. Likewise, young people whose parent(s) resort to socio-legal assistance in their country of residence are more exposed to the legal aspects of divorce. This case study underlines the intersubjective dimension of divorce and suggests that state policies do shape individual lives.
Los estudios sobre separaciones matrimoniales de “parejas mixtas” cuyos miembros son de diferentes nacionalidades y/o etnias prestan poca atención a cómo cada miembro, sobre todo aquél con una historia de migración, experimenta las leyes y las instituciones que afectan a sus hijos. Partiendo de observaciones etnográficas y entrevistas a mujeres filipinas en Bélgica y Países Bajos, este artículo investiga las experiencias de estas migrantes socio-jurídicas para arrojar luz sobre la situación de sus hijos durante el proceso de divorcio. Al prestar atención al principio del “interés superior del menor”, el análisis de datos revela que los hijos de mujeres con divorcios conflictivos y/o violencia doméstica tienen encuentros más directos con las leyes y/o las instituciones que aquéllos cuyos padres tuvieron una separación amistosa. Igualmente, los jóvenes cuyos padres o padre/madre recurrieron a la asistencia socio-jurídica en su país de residencia están más expuestos a los aspectos jurídicos del divorcio. Este estudio de caso subraya la dimensión intersubjetiva del divorcio y sugiere que las políticas estatales modelan las vidas de las personas.
Available from: https://doi.org/10.35295/osls.iisl/0000-0000-0000-1180
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