Lawmakers yesterday gave the thumbs up to the outline of a bill on compulsory mediation in cases of litigated divorce and other domestic conflicts.
The mediation, which would be conducted by the Social Welfare Bureau, is designed to “resolve family disputes in a more harmonious way,” according to André Cheong, the secretary for administration and justice, who introduced the outline of the bill during a legislative session yesterday.
According to a report in Macau Post Daily, Cheong acknowledged the process – if it failed to reconcile the spouses – would potentially lengthen the time it took for a divorce, but it would also enable both parties to “rethink their situation.”
[See more: Women’s association wants family mediation enforced by law]
Under the proposed measure, family mediators would be public social workers designated by the bureau, or civil social workers possessing appropriate experience. Cheong suggested that this was preferable to having disputes conducted by legal prosecutors, who lacked experience in family dynamics.
In remarks cited by Macau Post Daily, Social Welfare Bureau president Wilson Hon said there were roughly 120 social workers in 30 local family and community service centres who met the requirements, deeming the number “sufficient.”
The bill will now be submitted to one of the legislature’s standing committees for review and possible revisions, before being given a second reading.
