Family Mediation in the Basque Country: Strengths and Risks

• Main Authors: Cristina Merino, Roberto Moreno Álvarez
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oñati International Institute for the Sociology of Law 2019-10-01
• Series: Oñati Socio-Legal Series
• Subjects: Mediation; family mediation; strengths; risks; assessment; VOM services; training; Restorative Justice; Mediación; mediación familiar; fortalezas; riesgos; valoración; servicios MVO; capacitación; Justicia Restaurativa
• Online Access: http://opo.iisj.net/index.php/osls/article/view/1027

This paper will show a picture of the family mediation in Basque Country, both at courts and out of courts. On one hand, family mediation started with a pilot project in Bilbao in 1996 and two decades later it is offered in every province of Basque Country (Ministry of Social Affairs). After 20 years working in this field we have observed some strengths and risks we would like to share and to think about them. On the other hand, regarding mediation at courts, since 2007 the Basque Government (Ministry of Labour and Justice) decided to improve Restorative Justice (RJ) in the Basque Country by Victim Offender Mediation Services at criminal courts of the main cities. Since 2011, we realized that many other proceedings are very suitable to be solved by RJ in some civil matters and we started providing mediation in family matters of divorces and separations with children involved.<br /><br /> El art&iacute;culo ofrece un retrato de la mediaci&oacute;n familiar en el Pa&iacute;s Vasco. La mediaci&oacute;n familiar comenz&oacute; con un proyecto piloto en Bilbao en 1996 y, dos d&eacute;cadas despu&eacute;s, se ofrece en todas las provincias del Pa&iacute;s Vasco (Departamento de Pol&iacute;ticas Sociales). Despu&eacute;s de 20 a&ntilde;os, hemos observado algunos puntos fuertes y algunos riesgos de los que queremos informar e invitar a la reflexi&oacute;n conjunta. Por otro lado, en lo tocante a la mediaci&oacute;n en los juzgados, en 2007 el Gobierno Vasco (Departamento de Trabajo y Justicia) decidi&oacute; mejorar la Justicia Restaurativa (JT) en el Pa&iacute;s Vasco, con Servicios de Mediaci&oacute;n V&iacute;ctima-Ofensor en juzgados de lo penal de las principales ciudades. Desde 2011, hemos visto que hay muchos otros procedimientos de asuntos civiles que se pueden resolver mediante la JT, y hemos comenzado a proporcionar mediaci&oacute;n en casos de divorcios y separaciones con ni&ntilde;os implicados.<br /><br /> <strong>Available from:</strong> <a href="https://doi.org/10.35295/osls.iisl/0000-0000-0000-1094" target="_blank">https://doi.org/10.35295/osls.iisl/0000-0000-0000-1094</a>