Joint general comment No. 4 (2017) of the Committee on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families and No. 23 (2017) of the Committee on the Rights of the Child on State obligations regarding the human rights of c ... 2017, para. 27
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The right to protection of family life is recognized in international and regional human rights instruments, including the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families. Therefore, this right should be fully respected, protected and fulfilled in relation to every child without any kind of discrimination, regardless of their residency or nationality status. States should comply with their international legal obligations in terms of maintaining family unity, including siblings, and preventing separation, which should be a primary focus, in accordance with the Guidelines for the Alternative Care of Children. Protection of the right to a family environment frequently requires that States not only refrain from actions which could result in family separation or other arbitrary interference in the right to family life, but also take positive measures to maintain the family unit, including the reunion of separated family members. The Committee on the Rights of the Child, in its general comment No. 14 (2013) on the right of the child to have his or her best interests taken as a primary consideration, states that the term “parents” must be interpreted in a broad sense to include biological, adoptive or foster parents, or, where applicable, the members of the extended family or community as provided for by local custom.