08.20.2007

Over the past two years, the Rule of Law Initiative in Bahrain has partnered closely with the Bahrain Ministry of Justice (BMoJ) to help bring about a major change in the way cases are managed and resolved within the Bahraini justice system. One of the key objectives of both partners has been to establish a sustainable Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR)/Mediation pilot within the BMoJ. Some local attorneys and judges have received training in anticipation of a court-annexed mediation pilot program.

At the request of the Ministry of Justice, Initiative staff delivered a five-day "Family Mediation Training Workshop" during the week of May 13 to 17, 2007, for the eighteen newly recruited law graduates hired as legal clerks. The objective is that these court legal staff will be involved in a Shari'a Court Family Mediation Pilot to be launched in the fourth quarter of 2007. A select number of the participants will be appointed as mediators for the pilot.