Mediation Centre settles cases

Ho, Jan. 11, GNA - The Volta Regional branch of the Community Mediation Centre (CMC) has amicably settled seven cases out of the 20 it received since its inception in April last year.

Mr. Saviour Senyo Asase, a Mediator at the Centre, told the GNA in an interview on Friday that some of the cases brought before the Centre were debt recovery, family disputes, land, child maintenance, marital disputes, assault and landlord/tenant issues.

He said the Centre, which was an initiative of the Legal Aid Scheme with support from the United Nations Development Project (UNDP), serves as a platform where individuals or groups in dispute could resolve them. Mr. Asase said the Centre complemented the efforts of the courts by broadening access to justice through the process of mediation. He said two of the complaints, which could not be settled amicably by the Centre, were referred to the Legal Aid Scheme for advice.

Mr. Asase said the Centre was working in partnership with the Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit (DOVSU) of the Ghana Police Service, the courts and other social service providers and their services were free of charge.

He said people in the region did not know of the existence of the Centre and said they were organizing educational programmes to sensitize the populace about the functions of the Centre and appealed to government to provide the Centre with the logistics and personnel to enable them discharge their duties efficiently and effectively.