INTERNATIONAL LEGAL PRINCIPLES FOR ENSURING CHILD SUPPORT PAYMENTS

Abstract

The article is devoted to the study of the international legal foundations of ensuring child support payments in the context of protecting children’s socio-economic rights. The relevance of the topic is driven by the global problem of non-fulfillment of alimony obligations, which leads to the violation of fundamental rights of the child to an adequate standard of living, development, and social protection. The paper analyzes key international legal instruments regulating the collection of alimony, in particular the 1989 UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, the 1973 Hague Convention on the Law Applicable to Maintenance Obligations, and the 2007 Hague Convention on the International Recovery of Child Support and Other Forms of Family Maintenance. The significance of the activities of international organizations such as UNICEF, Save the Children, and World Vision, which complement legal mechanisms by providing practical assistance to children who do not receive child support, is also revealed. Special attention is given to the challenges of implementing international legal norms in national legal systems: the lack of a unified approach in the legislation of different countries, difficulties in identifying debtors, bureaucratic obstacles, and the lengthy process of international recognition of court decisions. The author emphasizes that children deprived of alimony support fall into a risk group of social exclusion and poverty, while international social protection programs play a compensatory role, providing minimum guarantees for existence.The article proposes ways to improve legal regulation: strengthening international cooperation in the exchange of information about debtors, simplifying recognition procedures, expanding the use of electronic services, and integrating social programs with legal mechanisms. The author concludes that the effective implementation of international legal foundations for ensuring child support payments is possible only through a comprehensive approach that combines legal, social, and institutional instruments.