By P. K. Yankey, GNA
Nkroful (W/R), Oct. 22 GNA – Her Worship Awo Amissah French, the Magistrate presiding over the Nkroful District Court, has commended Court-Connected Mediators for their dedication and crucial role in promoting Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) mechanism in the district.
According to her, the role of Court Mediators in conflict resolution through the ADR mechanism has helped to significantly reduce the backlog of cases in the court, saved time, reduced cost of disputants and restored relationships among families, neighbours and business partners in the Ellembelle area.
She said: “Our mediators are the unsung heroes of our justice system. Through patience, neutrality and professionalism, they have helped many ordinary people seek justice and peace without stepping into the courtroom.
“The work of ADR Mediators is laudable and must be encouraged,” she added.
Her Worship Awo Amissah French shared these sentiments with the Ghana News Agency at Nkroful in the Ellembelle District of the Western Region.
She explained that many cases bordering on land, family disputes, debt recovery and tenancy, which hitherto would have taken months or years in court, were now dealt with within weeks through mediation.
According to her, the integration of the ADR mechanism into the court system has reduced backlog of cases thereby fast-tracking justice delivery.
The ADR mechanism was introduced into the Judicial Service of Ghana (JSG) in 2005 to speed up adjudication of court cases.
According to her, the Nkroful District Court also adjudicates over District cases emanating from the Evalue-Gwira in the Axim area of the Nzema-East Municipality in addition to presiding over the Half-Assini District Court.
“In all the three Nzema areas, ADR is our backbone,” the Magistrate said.
Her Worship commended the role and efforts of Court Mediators for discharging their mandate with jurisprudence.
The Magistrate noted that with the efforts of Court Mediators through the ADR mechanism, many of the cases were settled with the conflicting parties coming to terms with the verdict amicably.
She called on residents of Ellembelle, Nzema-East and Jomoro to “embrace ADR as a first option for dispute settlement, stressing that justice was not only about winning in court, but about reaching a win-win solution”.
For his part, Mr Shaibu Issaka, Chief Mediator at the Nkroful Magistrate Court, told GNA in an interview that since 2018, when the ADR mechanism was introduced in the area, Mediators have dealt with a number of cases and disposed of them with results.
He said the ADR mechanism sometimes used the traditional mode of conflict resolution by appealing to the feuding parties to smoke the peace pipe and re-unite.
Mr Issaka said most of the cases the office dealt with were civil in nature such as child neglect, debt settlement and marital issues, among others.
He however expressed concern that despite the efforts of mediators, their allowances were not regular, a situation he noted, had become a disincentive to workers at the ADR department of the court.
Mr Issaka also urged the government to pay a backlog of arrears of over one-year allowances to enable them to function well.
Some beneficiaries at the ADR Department who shared their experiences with GNA, praised the process as fast, free and fair.
The Court Mediators pledged to continue their service to promote peace and access to justice delivery in the district.
GNA
Edited by Justina Hilda Paaga/Benjamin Mensah
Reporter: PK Yankey
Email address:[email protected]