未成年子女財產保護與信託制度之研究

Abstract

本論文主要研究未成年子女財產保護，尤其是當未成年子女之父母一方或雙方死亡、或者一方或雙方失能，而沒有能力扶養或虐待小孩情況下，或對小孩之財產保護不足，此時法律應該如何規劃？我國親屬編中，對於未成年之財產保護於父母雙方都存在情況下主要規定在民法第1088條、1089條﹔除此之外，若未成年子女無父母，或父母均不能行使、負擔對於其未成年子女之權利、義務時，則有1093條以下設置監護人以便管理未成年子女之財產，其成效如何？未成年子女財產保護執行效果又如何？ 其為本論文所要探討的。\n何謂「子女最佳利益」依民法第1055條、第1055條之1規定，法院酌定或改定親權時，應依「子女之最佳利益」為最高指導原則。然而「子女最佳利益」原則是不確定法律概念，鑑於「子女之最佳利益」定義不易，亦難有共同之標準。加上近代基於兒童基本權之保障，不論在兒童福利上或親子法上，皆朝向以子女福祉為中心之發展，而子女最佳利益原則（the best interest of the child principle）即是其中最顯著之產物，尤其在處理父母離婚後未成年子女親權行使之問題上備受討論，成為法院在處理父母離婚後子女監護案件之最高準則。\n因為未成年子女之特有財產之保護其相關條文僅記載於民法1090條，僅也提及親權之濫用，並無子女的保護制度。一旦發現父母一方有濫權事宜，必須透過司法機關亦訴訟程序來審查，實不宜由社會福利機構或其他利害關係人之請求或依職權，為子女之利益，宣告停止其權利之全部或一部，如此一來可以免除法院曠日廢時之行政程序，亦可以免除司法機關之訴訟，故我國民法對於未成年子女財產保護亦有檢討修正之必要，對於父母雙方死亡或一方死亡之未成年子女之特有財產之處理，最妥適、強制信託便是迅速處理方法，以設立信託來管理及保障未成年子女財產。

This thesis is mainly concerned with property protection for minor children. Specifically, when one or both of minor children’s parents are dead or disabled, thereby lacking the ability to raise children or abusing them, or when there is an insufficiency of protection for children, how should laws be enacted in such cases? In Family Law of the Civil Code, property protection for minor children when both parents are alive is mainly stipulated under Articles 1088 and 1089. Additionally, if minor children are without parents, or neither of their parents is able to perform and assume the rights and obligations for their minors, there are guardians under Article 1093 for managing minors’ property. The effects? How effective is the actual carrying out of property protection for minor children? These are issues to be addressed in the thesis.\nWhat is “the best interest of the child”? Under Article 1055 and 1055-1 of the Civil Code, the court should follow “the best interest of the child” as the top, guiding principle in determining or changing custody. However, this principle is an indefinite legal concept, given that it is not easy to define “the best interest of the child”, or to have a common standard of it. Furthermore, with recent protection of children’s right, either Child Welfare or Parentage Law has been developed centering on child welfare, with “the best interest of the child principle” being the most prominent product. Such principle has further been widely discussed in dealing with the custody issue regarding minor children after parents’ divorce and has become the top principle guiding courts in determining custody cases after divorce.\nLaws relevant to the protection of the specific property of minor children are only available under Article 1090 of the Civil Code, with a mere mention of custody abuse and no system of protection for children. Once an abuse of power is found in one of the parents, an investigation must be launched by the judicial organization or a lawsuit procedure. Actually, it is inappropriate for this move to be requested by social welfare organizations or other stakeholders. In the interests of children, all or part of their right is to be declared to stop. Accordingly, we can be free from time-consuming administrative procedures of courts, while avoiding lawsuits of judicial organizations. Therefore, there is a need to review and amend the laws of the Civil Code concerning property protection for minor children. For those minors who have lost one or both parents, the most suitable and quick approach is compulsory trust -- setting up a trust to manage and protect the property of minor children.