… EDUCATION FOR PEACE …

An article from the government of Panama (translation by CPNN)

The Coordination Office of the Community Mediation Program presented the main results achieved during the management period corresponding to the year 2021, in order to make visible the efforts and collaborative work carried out by each of the team members.

The presentation was given by Thaiska T. Tuñón Solano, head of the Coordination Office, and community mediators from the Administration Attorney’s Office participated.

(Article continued in right column)

Mediation as a tool for nonviolence and culture of peace

(Article continued from left column)

Tuñón highlighted that, despite the difficulties encountered in the current context generated by the public health situation, important results were attained. Among these, he highlighted the resumption of agreements with different local authorities and national and international organizations to guarantee the operation of the Community Mediation Centers, in addition to the participation in different virtual academic activities at the international level to strengthen national and international technical cooperation.

The actions carried out collaboratively with the Norwegian Council for Refugees were highlighted, as well as the sensitizations developed in the community by each of the Community Mediation Centers. Also, he mentioned that most cases continue to be initiated voluntarily, that is, that the citizen directly attends the Center to request the conflict management service without the intervention of a judge or other authority.

(click here for the original version in Spanish).

… EDUCATION FOR PEACE …

An article from Hacienda Cuautitlan (translation by CPNN)

PROCESS

STAGES OF MEDIATION AND CONCILIATION

The mediation and conciliation services provided by the Center can be initiated at the request of the interested party or by referral from the Public Prosecutor’s Office or the judge who hears the matter, when the willingness of the interested parties to resolve their disputes through any of these methods is confirmed. This can begin before starting a judicial process, during the process or after it has concluded.

Click on image to enlarge.

1. REQUEST FOR MEDIATION AND CONCILIATION

The person interested in resolving their conflict through these channels must go personally or, where appropriate, through their legal representative with power of attorney to the State Center headquarters closest to their home with the original and a simple copy of their official identification , as well as the location data of the person you want to invite (full name, address and telephone number, if you know it).

If you wish to expedite this service, you can have the Service Request Form printed with the requested data.

2. START OF THE MEDIATION OR CONCILIATION PROCESS

Each Center has Secretaries or Operational Secretaries, who will verify if the conflict is susceptible to mediation, conciliation or subject to a restorative process, in accordance with the law. If so, a file is started that includes the data of both parties.

Finally, you will be provided with the date for the initial mediation or conciliation session, the corresponding file number and the name of the Mediator-Conciliator or Facilitator who will assist you.

The Secretary and/or Operational Secretary will make the invitation and turn it over to the Social Worker so that he/she invites the other person or persons to attend on the scheduled date; In addition, he reports the matter to the Mediator-Conciliator and Facilitator who will be responsible for assisting him.

3. INVITATION

A social worker comes to the house of the invited person delivers the invitation, letting him know that there is a person interested in discussing the conflict in common to seek alternative solutions, through mediation or conciliation.

(Article continued in right column)

(click here for the original version in Spanish).

Mediation as a tool for nonviolence and culture of peace

(Article continued from left column)

4. MEDIATION AND/OR CONCILIATION SESSIONS

On the date and time indicated to the parties, the Mediator-Conciliator assigned to the matter waits for the parties.

If both parties show up, the session will begin, which takes place in a private and comfortable space. On the first occasion, the Conciliatory Mediator explains the purposes of the procedure, the rules that allow a respectful dialogue and ascertains the willingness of the parties to seek a solution to their dispute.

The Mediation or Conciliation sessions are oral and all that are necessary for the resolution of the conflict are carried out.

In each session, the people involved will have the opportunity to actively intervene, by expressing their needs, emotions, feelings and proposals, in an environment of trust, cordiality and respect guided by the assigned Mediator-Conciliator.

If the parties reach one or several points of agreement, it will be recorded in an agreement, a copy of which is given to those involved.

5. CONCLUSION OF THE MEDIATION OR CONCILIATION

In accordance with the Regulation of the Law of Mediation, Conciliation and Promotion of Social Peace for the State of Mexico, the request may be inadmissible or the mediation, conciliation or restorative justice procedure may be terminated, in case it becomes evident that the process of the alternative method is based on dishonest presentations.

6. AGREEMENT AUTHORIZATION

The head of the Mediation and Conciliation Center must ensure that the agreement does not contain dishonest consent, that it does not contravene morality or public order provisions, as prerequisites for its authorization.

When agreements are reached, they are signed by all the interested parties, include the fingerprints of the signatories, the signature of the Mediator-Conciliator who intervened and, finally, the signature of the head of the Mediation and Conciliation Center and the institutional seal.

7. EFFECTS OF JUDICATION

Once the agreement or agreement has been signed and authorized, it will have the same effectiveness between the parties as res judicata, and may be executed, in the event of non-compliance, by way of enforcement, provided for in the Code of Civil Procedures of the State of Mexico.

8. BREACH OF AGREEMENT

In case of non-compliance with the agreement, the parties have the right to choose whether to proceed to its execution by way of enforcement before the competent judge; or they initiate a new mediation or conciliation process.

http://www.pjedomex.gob.mx/conciliacion/#

… EDUCATION FOR PEACE …

An article in El Nuevo Diario

The National Conflict Resolution System (Sinarec), reported this Tuesday (January 4) that in the past year 2021 it trained more than 11 thousand people in its citizen education programs for alternative conflict resolution and culture of peace. The programs are aimed at community leaders, members of the Public Ministry and administrative personnel of the public prosecutor’s offices of the country and abroad.

Sinarec highlighted that the trainings consisted of workshops, discussions, conferences, round tables, diplomas and specialized courses in mediation, alternative conflict resolution, culture of peace, human rights and non-violent communication, among other methods of violence reduction. .

(Article continued in right column)

(click here for the original version in Spanish).

Mediation as a tool for nonviolence and culture of peace

(Article continued from left column)

It was indicated that these preventive actions served as an extension to the daily work of Sinarec, which mediates between parties in conflict, providing guidance and support to reach agreements that avoid the need for judicial prosecution.

Sinarec added that during the year just ended, the mediators received hundreds of citizens and achieved peaceful resolutions in 90% of the cases.

In a statement, it was pointed out that these services are permanently available at the agency’s headquarters, located at 237 Barney Morgan Street, in the Luperón expansion, under rigorous measures. of biosafety and with the participation of personnel trained in mediation.

The director of Sinarec, Petronila Rosario Adames, explained that with the endorsement of the Institute of Higher Education National School of the Public Ministry, 78 members of the career of the Dominican and Chilean Public Ministry participated virtually and completed the diploma in Conflict Management and Mediation .

She added that participants included 315 professional members of the Dominican Association of Psychology (Asodopsi), the Integral Ethnic Foundation (Lafei), Dominican Association of Teachers (ADP), members of the National Police, community and ecclesiastical leaders.

Rosario Adames emphasized especially the Youth Mediation and Restorative Practices course, taught to 45 adolescents inmates at the Comprehensive Care Center for Adolescents in Conflicts with the Criminal Law (CAIPACLP), in Manoguayabo, where there was a positive change in the behavior of the participants after receiving training in peer mediation.

. . DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION . .

An article from the blog of Didi Galvão

Restorative justice actions, aimed at promoting a culture of peace in socio-educational units in Pernambuco, had good results in 2021. During this period, 77 circles of restorative justice were carried out with 458 participants, including adolescents and young people in compliance with socio-educational measures and employees of the Socio-Educational Service Foundation (Funase), an institution linked to the Department of Social Development, Children and Youth (SDSCJ) of Pernambuco.

Image: Divulgação/Funase

The face-to-face activities took place in a manner adapted to the health guidelines resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic, with smaller groups of participants, in accordance with the protocol established by Funase. The training processes of multipliers, on the other hand, prioritized the virtual modality. In 2022, the idea is to continue expanding the work of the Center for Restorative Justice (NJR), a group of public servants established in 2019 with the objective of disseminating these practices in the socio-educational system in Pernambuco.

(article continued in right column)

(Click here for the original article in Portuguese)

Restorative justice, What does it look like in practice?

(article continued from left column)

Restorative Justice addresses issues such as conflict mediation and non-violent communication, encouraging accountability processes. Marcela Mariz, coordinator of the NJR, believes that the gains have been significant. “We see important results for those who participate. Compliance with the socio-educational measure is not easy. Welcoming, strengthening and empowering are essential actions. And Restorative Justice presents itself as a great tool for that”, she says.

The Socio-Educational Service Center (Case) Jaboatão dos Guararapes, in the Metropolitan Region of Recife, is one of the Funase units where restorative practices are implemented and in progress. “At first, some teenagers show resistance, but later they realize that that moment is theirs and that’s when they can reflect, tell stories and build an internal space for this practice”, explains psychologist and reference technician Cristiane Campelo.

In 2021, training courses were held for managers and technicians on the topic “Restorative Justice in the Socio-Educational System”, with the promotion of Funase in partnership with the Training Center for Public Servants and Employees of the State of Pernambuco (Cefospe). Trainings on coping with LGBTphobia and its parallels with restorative practices were also guided. Another highlight was NJR’s participation in the 1st Latin American Journey “Justice and Restorative Practices: reflections, tools and good practices”, an event held in September, remotely, based in Argentina.

.. EDUCATION FOR PEACE ..

An article from Government of the State of Jalisco

The Secretariat of the Social Assistance System (SSAS) and the Jalisco Solidario Volunteering have joined the campaign “Toys and Games as Instruments of the Culture of Peace”, an initiative of the deputy Rocío Aguilar Tejada. The campaign aims to promote a culture of peace through of positive play, creating awareness and reflection about the damage generated by violence promoted through toys and war games, in addition to inviting parents to refrain from giving them as presents during the Christmas season.

The coordinator of the Jalisco Solidario Volunteering, Joanna Santillán Álvarez, commented that it is necessary to strengthen Jalisco childhood, especially in view of the pandemic that has changed the dynamics of life, taking advantage of the development capacity that the game gives physically, emotionally and cognitively.

(continued in right column)

Do war toys promote the culture of war?

(continued from left column)

“It is important that we call on all Jalisco families to avoid giving war toys, and to share games capable of creating an atmosphere of respect, solidarity but above all of love”, Santillán Álvarez stressed, during the start of the campaign, which was hosted by the State Congress and which will conclude at the Trompo Mágico Interactive Museum.

The head of the SSAS, Alberto Esquer Gutiérrez, acknowledged that the current pace of life sometimes does not give parents time to pause to reflect on the toys and games of their daughters and sons. They are often warlike, including those of electronic devices. “If we don’t make an effort to generate sports, recreational, cultural and coexistence activities for our children, no one is going to do it; dads and moms are the main educators of our children ”, he emphasized.

Also participating in the campaign are the State Government, the Jalisco State Human Rights Commission (CEDHJ), the Magic Trompo Museum, the Guadalajara Security Police Station, the Guadalajara City Council, as well as the plastic artist Álvaro Cuevas and the CAI-METLAN Artistic Collective, who exhibited the sculptures “Impacts that leave a mark”, and “La Paloma de Picasso”, paintings linked to this purpose.

It should be noted that this campaign will culminate during the first week of January when girls, boys and adolescents are summoned to carry out the destruction of war toys at the Trompo Mágico Museum.

(Click here for the Spanish original of this article)