future and reconciling relationships, rather than
simply looking to the past and punishing transgressions and to believe in peace-making. Setting up of
IIAM Community Mediation Clinics in all districts
of each state with a view to mediate all disputes will
bring about a profound change in the Indian Legal
system. Conflict management programs with the
formation of such clinics will serve to defray tensions in societies and prevent them from erupting
into violence.
These Mediation Clinics would function with an
efficient team of mediators who are selected from
the local community itself. The people so selected
would be trained by IIAM, and a certificate of recognition would be issued. The mediators so selected
will be persons who shall be having a good repute
in the local area to whom people shall have faith
and shall include educated youth, ladies and elders.
Peacekeeping is a profession and can be a vocation.
It is a belief, a value and a way of life. We have many
people in our community who believe in peace and
practice peace making.
IIAM CMS has also been endorsed by the International Mediation Institute (IMI) at the Hague,
Netherlands, which is formed to generate confidence in the usage of mediation and for certifying
high competency standards for mediators throughout the world.
Community mediation services were first established in Britain in the 1980’s and expanded rapidly.
Community mediation programs now flourish
throughout the United States. In San Diego (California) having the third largest number of trial
courts in the USA, 97% of the civil cases are settled
through mediation. Records from US programs
on community mediation throughout the country
demonstrate that 85% of mediations result in agree-
ments between the disputants. Similarly, studies
show that disputants uphold these agreements
90% of the time.
PROMOTING HARMONY
IIAM CMS has the potential to shape powerful conflict transformation partnerships. Such
approaches often have the power to heal even
profound social wounds, so that the system can
become a vehicle for creating a loving and caring
world.
But as the former President of India, Mr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam has said, “If nation is to have ethics; society has to promote ethics and value system.” To
promote the concept of IIAM CMS, organizations
that promote peace building or conflict resolution
has to partner in an effort to support peace and
harmony. To make our world a safe, sustainable,
peaceful and prosperous place to live, corporate
houses can make an important contribution by
adopting such Community Mediation Clinics.
As a business opportunity and simultaneously to
fulfil their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR),
Corporates can adopt a long term approach in
partnering with IIAM for a long term process of
positive social transition.
Propagation and establishment of Mediation Clinics definitely enhances the social capital that is vitally needed for the society. As Mr. David Putnam
has put it, it would work as a Social capital, which
would be networks of cooperation in which people
invest and from which they may ultimately derive
benefits. Putnam looked at social capital primarily
in terms of its benefits to society rather than the
individual. Research has shown how powerfully
social capital, or its absence, affects the well being
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