CRITERIOS DE APLICACIÓN PARA LA NO VULNERACIÓN DEL INTERÉS SUPERIOR DEL NIÑO EN DISPUTAS DE TENENCIA:
ANÁLISIS COMPARADO DE METODOLOGÍA JUDICIAL
Palabras clave:
Interés superior del
niño,
tenencia,
corresponsabilidad parental,
discrecionalidad, derecho comparado
ABSTRACT: The best interests of the child are one of the guiding principles in family law;
however, its indeterminacy often leads to judicial discretion and arbitrariness in child custody
disputes. Although in Ecuador, with the elimination of maternal preference through Judgment
No. 28-15-IN/21, equality between parents was guaranteed, this same decision created a void
due to the absence of an objective procedure for balancing these interests. The objective of this
study was to analyze, through a comparative approach, the judicial methodology for awarding
custody in Ecuador, Chile, Spain, and Colombia, in order to design a standardized protocol to
address this issue. Based on a qualitative-descriptive and analytical-dogmatic approach,
supported by the comparative legal method and a systematic literature review, 176 documents
were evaluated and diagnosed using the PRISMA methodology. After applying filters for
publication year, peer-review quality, and relevant thematic areas, 24 documents were
selected and used to analyze co-parenting rules, judicial evaluation of expert evidence, and
mechanisms for the active listening of the minor. The results showed that judicial discretion is
inversely proportional to the existence of objective scoring scales (baremos), demonstrating
that although the judgment eliminated gender bias, it created a gap by failing to provide a
framework to resolve disputes without falling into arbitrary decisions or cultural biases. Finally,
a proposed Balancing Protocol for the Best Interests of the Child is presented—a matrix based
on a 100-point scale addressing four criteria: affective bond, co-parenting responsibility,
environmental stability, and evolving capacity—alongside a non-revictimizing active listening
protocol free from party interference, designed to strengthen judicial reasoning in child custody
rulings.
Keywords: Best interests of the child, custody, parental co-responsibility, discretion,
comparative law
INTRODUCCIÓN
La introducción y manejo del Interés superior del niño, se ha vuelto uno de los principales pilares
sobre los que se cimenta el derecho de familia en la actualidad. Pero, su consagración
constitucional e internacional, muchas veces contrasta con lo complejo que es su aplicación
pragmática en las disputas de tenencia. De tal modo y como advierte Cillero Bruñol, la falta de
determinación de este principio ha hecho que el mismo fluctué entre ser una garantía y llegar a
ser una herramienta para el juzgador, lo que podría arriesgar la decisión judicial a factores
subjetivos o morales respecto a la capacidad de los progenitores (1).
Centrándose en Ecuador, esta disputa adquirió un carácter sumamente urgente, en especial con
el fallo dentro de la sentencia 28-15-IN/21 de la Corte Constitucional, la cual declaró la
inconstitucionalidad a la preferencia materna por sobre la paterna que antes dictaba en Código
de la Niñez y la Adolescencia. Esto sirvió como un hito jurisprudencial, ya que obligó a los
juzgadores a evaluar la corresponsabilidad parental y la tenencia compartida bajo los criterios de
181