MOSCOW, November 23 (RAPSI) – Introduction of the procedure of mandatory pretrial mediation in civil cases relating to family law and development of territorial conciliation services are to facilitate readiness of citizens to negotiate and save families from disintegration, Russia’s Children Rights Commissioner Anna Kuznetsova believes.

The development of the institution of mediation is the most important factor in building civilized communications in practically all spheres of interaction between people; at the same time, for mediators, the most difficult and multifaceted creative mission is to keep peace and harmony in families and regulate school conflicts as it directly concerns children, their wellbeing, and prospects, Kuznetsova said addressing the IV All-Russian scientific and practical conference Mediation in Family Conflict, which were convened in the Saratov Region.

Only three families out of one hundred turn to restorative mediation when experiencing family conflicts, according to the statistics available to the Children Ombudsman Office, Kuznetsova observed. In 2019, the Office was most efficient in the sphere of family relations; in the same period, the number of applications concerning judicial defense and provision of legal services as citizens sought to challenge judgements they believed were contrary to the interests of minors increased by 37.1%, the Children Ombudsman noted.

According to Kuznetsova, most family disputes may be settled under pretrial procedures. Introduction of mandatory mediation and territorial conciliation services is to facilitate improvement of legal culture and save families on condition skilled professionals are to work in this sphere, the Children Rights Commissioner said.

The efficient work of mediators in family matters needs to be based on better legal awareness of minors and their parents, including provision of information on the availability of pretrial mediation procedures, among them those carried out in distant format because of the pandemic.