Market women at the Adenta Market and Shopping Mall have been encouraged to adopt Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) as a means of settling disputes amicably without resorting to lengthy and costly court processes.
The call was made at an educational outreach programme organised by Women and ADR, a non-profit organisation, on the theme: “Educating Women in the Use and Benefits of ADR in Conflict Resolution.”
The programme sought to equip traders with knowledge of mediation and other ADR mechanisms to help resolve conflicts in families, workplaces, religious organisations and communities.
Speaking at the event, the Head of the Public Affairs Department of the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS), DCOI Maud Anima Quainoo, urged participants to become ambassadors of mediation in their homes and communities.
She said ADR offered an avenue for resolving disagreements while preserving relationships among parties.
“We should go home as mediators and ensure that family issues do not go to court. Even in churches where misunderstandings arise, ADR can help settle such issues so that people remain friends at the end of the day,” she said.
DCOI Quainoo, in an interview, explained that unlike court proceedings, which often produce winners and losers, ADR encouraged reconciliation and mutual understanding.
“When one person wins and another loses in court, they may no longer be friends. ADR allows people to settle disputes and still hug each other and smile afterwards. It makes society a better place for all of us,” she added.
She commended the organisers for taking the education campaign to market centres and encouraged them to extend it to communities and public institutions.
According to her, the GIS would welcome the establishment of a mediation centre within the service to help resolve internal disputes among officers.
Public education
The Founder and President of Women and ADR, Dr Irene Nartey, said the organisation was established three years ago to educate the public on the advantages of ADR and promote peaceful conflict resolution.
She explained that markets were strategic locations for the campaign because of the high volume of interactions and transactions that often generated disputes.
“Our mothers and aunties in the markets are influential members of society.
When they understand the advantages of ADR, they will help spread the message to others,” she said.
She said previous programmes were held at the Kasoa New Market, Nsawam Prison Market and Achimota Market.
Touching on future activities, Dr Nartey said the organisation planned to extend its educational campaigns to universities and schools to promote mediation among young people.
She expressed the belief that introducing ADR concepts at an early age could help reduce bullying and conflicts in educational institutions.
The Chairperson for the programme and Global President of the Share the Smile Ophelia Foundation, Ophelia Damptey Asare, described the event as successful and said the market women had responded positively to the initiative.
She noted that some participants had already begun registering cases for mediation following the educational session.
