The government plans to submit a draft bill to the Legislative Assembly that calls for the setting up a system of family mediation in Macao. The move, slated for this year, has been a goal of the Women’s General Association of Macau for some time, TDM reports.
The association’s deputy director, Wong Kit-cheng, said that, if passed, the new Family Mediation System Bill would help alleviate the trauma of those involved in family disputes.
Wong, who is also a legislator, told TDM that mediation could help couples avoid divorce, as well as reduce Macao’s rates of domestic violence.
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Mediation has been described as an underutilised yet potentially effective way to avoid drawn-out and costly divorce proceedings, especially when children are involved.
The association’s vice president, Loi I Weng, has previously said that her group has done everything in its power to promote mediation in family disputes.
“[Mediation] promotes social and family harmony and increases the protection of the rights and interests of minors,” she said.
