Mandatory Mediation in Family Disputes: Limitations and Future Foresight in Kosovo

• Author: Fatime Dërmaku
• Position: University of Prishtina, Kosovo
• Pages: 25-41

European Journal of Economics, Law and Social Sciences

IIPCCL Publishing, Graz-Austria

Vol. 4 No. 2

June, 2020

ISSN 2519-1284

Acces online at www.iipccl.org

25

Mandatory Mediation in Family Disputes: Limitations and Future Foresight

in Kosovo

PhD (C.) Fatime Dërmaku

UniversityofPrishtinaKosovo

Abstract

Theaimofthispaperrelies ondeningthedimensionofmandatory mediationinKosovoin

family disputes in the aspects of the advantages and limitations. The resolution of a family

disputeisa complexprocess asitcarries thelegal aspectsofthe disputewith theemotional

andpsychologicalmaersMediationisconsideredtobeagreattforfamilydisputesasitis

interest-based and it focuses mainly on the future, both of which directly impact the on-going

relationshipsbetween the familymembers Mediation hasbeen supported andencouraged

over the last decades yet its utilization remains scarce Many countries have regulated

mandatory mediation in accordance with the Directive EC in order to increase

theuse of mediation Mandatory mediation in family disputes has been debated by many

authorswith oneside advocatingitas properand benecialwhile theother sidequestions

itsreliabilityintheface ofpowerimbalanceanddomestic violenceMandatorymediationin

Kosovois usedin specicmaers in familylaw andit aims tooer theparties achance to

benetfrommediationasitprovidesafasterandcheaperalternativetothecourtsTheusage

of mediation in Kosovo remains low which is believed to be due to the lack of recognition and

understanding by the parties, lawyers and court professionals.

KeywordsMandatoryMediationFamilyDisputesDomesticViolenceChildrensInterests

Introduction

The increasing rates of divorce and the deriving disputes as the maers of child

custody and the contact of the parents with the child aer divorce are pressing

challenges in most modern societies Nylund  Family disputes have their

uniquecharacteristicsastheycarryboththelegalaspectsandemotionalaachments

of a dispute, considering that the parties in dispute remain linked through their

children evenaer the dispute reaches nality McFarlane A contemporary

problem of the judicial system is the overload of the courts with cases which has

led many European countries to seek the utilization of alternative dispute resolution

mechanismsinordertotacklethissituationEspluguesMarquis

The use of mediation as an alternative dispute resolution mechanism has been

onthe raise over thelast decades and it hasbeen found in dierent areassuch as

labordisputescommunityfamilyandinterpersonalconict BushFolger

Recently there has been a shi in the wayfamily disputes are approached in the

judicial system as there is an increased focus on applying informal justice rather than

formalalternatives whichare considered slowermore expensiveand lesslikely to

benetthebestinterestofthechildLynch

Mediationisdenedasafacultativeprocessinwhichthepartiesdisputingengagethe

assistance of an impartial third party, whose role is to help the parties into reaching

Vol. 4 No. 2

June, 2020

European Journal of Economics, Law and Social Sciences

IIPCCL Publishing, Graz-Austria

ISSN 2519-1284

Acces online at www.iipccl.org

26

an agreement by themselves while remaining neutral and with no coercive authority

over the parties Brown  Marrio  Steek  Mediation has been

considereda paradox onthe basis that whileuniversally promoted theutilization

of this process as the dispute resolution mechanism in civil and commercial cases in

EUisconcerninglylowDePaloTheintroductionofmandatorymediationin

specicmaershasbeenacknowledgedasamainfactorcontributingtotheincrease

inthe utilizationof mediationin EuropeDe Palo CanessaAs manyother

European countries, Kosovo has adapted the law in force in accordance with the

European Directive ECDirectivewhich foresees specic maers that are

subjectedto mandatory mediation such as the familymaers of custodyalimony

visitchildsupportanddivisionofmaritalpropertyLawonMediationWhile

Kosovo is rapidly developing in the economic and technological aspects, the social

andcultural norms seem tobe slower inshiingtheir paradigm andassuch they

could be considered a factor that highly impacts the low utilization of mediation with

anemphasisonfamilylawmaers

Mediation in Family Disputes

Family disputes that demand a solution provided by the court or other alternative

dispute resolution mechanisms arise from the breakdown of a family be it married

ornotTheunit ofthefamilyis notastaticone Widmeranditdierentiates

duetochangingconditionsandsocialcircumstances McCarthyHooperGillies

asitcan be seen in the recent shiing of the rates of marriagesanddivorce

withtheformerconstantlydecliningandthe laerincreasingover thelastdecades

StevensonWolfersOnthefaceofthebreakupofafamilywhichrepresented

a safe environment for the parents as well as the children, a crises arises creating

uncertaintyandfearsforthepossibilitiesoflosingthechildrenlegalexpensespublic

embarrassmentandothersocialissuesEmery

Recently there has been an emerging of mediation as an established pathway

towards the dispute resolution of family maers due to the recognized benets

asthe opportunity to resolvedisputes more quickly and lessexpensively than the

traditionallitigation Roberts Mediation dueto its natureofinformal justice

carriesthevalues ofselfdeterminationexibilityandpartyfocusAbel that

have a determinative role to the potential this process has in the resolution of family

disputesand conicts consideringthefact that theinvolvedparties haveongoing

relationships that require mending and reorientation towards each other (Fuller,



The role of mediation in a family dispute, comes across in the legal goals of this

processsuch asthe negotiationof an agreeablelegal bindingselement aswellas

the emotional and psychological goals in helping all parties involved in preserving

and resolving the relationships between the partners or those between parents and

children EmeryThe growing rates of mediation in the resolution of family

dispute are considered to be due to a cumulative process of various causes as the

demise of traditional forms of dispute resolution that comes from the consequences

offailingtomeettheoptimalrequirementsMenkelMeadowandastheresult