Embrace ADR in conflict resolution - Speakers urge citizens

Speakers at a sensitisation programme on alternative dispute resolution (ADR) have encouraged women to embrace the practice for the speedy and amicable resolution of conflicts.

They said ADR has become an integral part of Ghana's legal and judicial system, providing flexible, confidential and more efficient conflict resolution.

At the programme dubbed: the ADR Advantage, an initiative of the Women and ADR to educate women in the use and benefits of ADR in conflict resolution, the speakers further highlighted the benefits of ADR in conflict resolution, describing it as one that preserved relationships as it had a non-confrontational approach, as well as ensured faster resolution of disputes and had a flexible process, among other things, in dealing with misdemeanors.

The speakers, including the Greater Accra Regional Coordinator, ADR, Serwaa Danquah; the President of the Women and ADR, Dr Irene Nartey; an ADR Practitioner, Nancy Aboagye; a private gender and development consultant, Marian Tackie, and a counsellor and mediator, Innocential Dumedah, said the above.

The event was held last Tuesday at the Kasoa New Market in the Central Region.

Both gender

Ms Danquah said the ADR initiative was not for women alone but for men as well, and that the women were being used as tools to carry it on.

She said when women carried the message it went further.

"So we are saying that women should lead the front for the propagation and the sensitisation of the public so that they will bring more men into the system. Men are part of the ADR," she emphasised.

As they carried out the message, Ms Danquah said women themselves should allow ADR to work. 

Court

"When you have a matter at home, you have a matter in court ...allow ADR practitioners to sit on your matter and settle it with you," she said.

For her part, Dr Nartey said the New Kasoa Market was one of the largest in the country; hence, the organisation's decision to take the education programme.

She said the organisation thought that if it was to get the women to subscribe to ADR, it would help the entire country.

That, she said, was right because the women would help to spread the message.

Through that, she said, there would be peace.

"Subscribe to ADR, that is the best you can get for peace and harmony in our society," she said.

Women and ADR, she said, intended to take the sensitisation programme to other markets, including that of Dome, Pokuase, Amasaman and Nsawam.

Misdemeanours

Ms Aboagye said the misdemeanour cases that were handled included rent, land, marital cases and child maintenance.

"We don't go to felony cases like murder, aggravated assault, manslaughter, robbery, rape and any crime against the state," she said.

Ms Aboagye said with ADR, there was a mediator who stayed with the parties to settle the cases that were brought before them.

"So, it's confidential as compared to the normal litigation process as they would have to be called in an open court for you to talk but with the ADR, we just sit as families and we settle the cases," she said.

She said the decision to engage market women on the issue was informed by the fact that there were a lot of litigations that went on in the markets, which were not good for them.

Objective

Ms Tackie said the objective of the programme was to help women understand the benefits of adopting ADR when it came to conflict resolution.

That, she said, was such that such matters did not end at the police station or courts.

"ADR is the cost-effective way of settling disputes. So we want to introduce our market women to the system," Ms Tackie said.

Ms Dumedah said the market women were chosen since they were the most vulnerable.

"We want to tell the women that we are there for them and so when they have any problem, they should contact us and we would net them out," she said.