Mediator in court

MiKK, in cooperation with Judge Sabine Brieger (now retired), developed the pilot project Mediator in Court (MiC) for proceedings under the 1980 Hague Child Abduction Convention.  Under this program, a MiKK-trained mediator will accompany the parents to court and will inform them about the mediation process.  The judge will set a second court date before which the parents will try mediation with the aim of reaching an agreement in the best interest of the child.

The advantages of the MiC model are, that the parents are in direct contact with the mediator before making the decision to enter into mediation and can ask questions. The mediator will speak the parents’ respective languages. By integrating the mediation into the court proceedings, the overall time frame of Hague return cases will not be delayed.

The program was first trialled in Berlin Courts and is now being practised in courts throughout Germany.

More information on this project can be found in the publication, “ZKJ”, volume 11, pages 450-451 or at www.zkj-online.de.