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In a ceremony on January 21, the Governor General of Jamaica declared
2004 the National Year of Dispute Resolution. Highlighting the country’s
commitment to developing restorative processes, the declaration
coincides with the 10 year anniversary of both public and private
initiatives to introduce mediation in response to rising levels of
violence. Activities to promote the use of restorative practices have
been held throughout the year.
Taking advantage of the National Year of Dispute Resolution, the
Dispute Resolution Foundation (DRF) -- a private voluntary organization
– is sponsoring events to raise public awareness about mediation
alternatives. These events include:
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Special church services
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Monthly breakfast meetings with sector leaders
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Mediation display rotating monthly among libraries
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Lecture series on Mediation in November
The organization also hosted the 2nd Caribbean Conference
of Dispute Resolution in conjunction with the Mona School of Business in
May 2004. This programme brought together leaders from all over the
Caribbean to discuss the benefits of mediation.
The hope is to build knowledge among community members and both
political and business leaders about restorative processes. These events
are meant to augment the DRF’s work in the community which include
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training in mediation and victim offender conferencing
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training staff for Peace and Justice Centres
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providing mediation services
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facilitating community meetings
Other organizations and the government are participating in the
awareness raising activities. On Jamaica’s Peace Day (March
2nd) the non-profit organization Peace and Love in Society
(formerly Peace and Love in Schools) sponsored a celebration held at the
Governor-General’s office, King’s House. The event highlighted peer
mediation projects in the school system, conflict resolution education
in teachers college, and outreach to the larger community. In his
comments to the gathering, the Governor General called for the
development of a ‘culture of finding peaceful solutions to our
differences in opinion.”
In April 2004, the Peace Management Initiative -- a government backed
coalition with members from both government and the private sector --
sponsored a DRF-led mediation training for 28 young people from conflict
prone areas. The goal is to eventually train 130 young people in these
areas. The Initiative hopes that these young people will use the
newly acquired skills and promote mediation alternatives as they return
to their communities.
These are all part of ongoing efforts to find solutions to rising
rates of violent crimes across the country. Currently, the Police
Mediation Unit, created in 1994, has over 600 trained mediators to
provide free assistance to the communities they serve. The Public
Prosecutor’s office is also implementing mediation process to deal with
internal disputes and design better communication process. Police and
civil society partnerships are being credited with lowering levels of
violence in different communities.
The government’s support for restorative process is growing as
politicians are using the national focus to call for more public
awareness and implementation. The Honourable A. J. Nicholson,
Attorney General, summed up the interest in and need for alternatives in
a his speech at the 10th Anniversary Gala of the Dispute
Resolution Foundation: “The increased use of mediation and the growth of
a more restorative philosophy to underpin our interactions and our
interrelationships are seminal to preventing our individual and
collective promise from further delay.”
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Resources Used:
Citizens Urged to Support DRF. Jamaican Information
Service,
Dispute Resolution Foundation On Public Education Drive This Year.
Jamaican Information Service.
Hon. A.J. Nicholson. Keynote Address from the DRF 10th
Anniversary Awards Banquet. 10 July 2004.
Inner City Community Being Transformed-Police Social Intervention
Strategy Pays Off
Mediation Still Effective in Resolving Conflicts
Peace
Graduates: Inner City Youth Embrace Mediation Training
Lynette Parker
September 2004
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