Mediation will help divorce cases

Posted on May 10, 2009 in Child & Family Debates

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TheStar.com – Opinion/Letter – Mediation will help divorce cases
May 10, 2009

Re: 1 divorce: 54 hearings, 5 judges, $200,000, Living, May 8

Susan Pigg’s article is one of an number of Toronto Star articles she has written on the family court processing of divorces.

Implicit in all of them is the uncritical acceptance of the notion that more judges and court resources will solve problems relating to delay, cost, custody battles and the parental alienation of children.

Findings from a number of research studies clearly indicate they will not.

These problems are partly grounded in the nature of the adversarial process itself.

Conclusions from various studies also indicate that divorce mediation, an alternative to adjudication, is safer, less costly, speedier and more likely to de-escalate conflicts over custody, financial support and access.

In short, divorce mediation transforms a tug-of-war into a tug toward peace.

Desmond Ellis, La Marsh Research Centre on Violence and Conflict Resolution, York University

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