ROLE OF WOMEN MEDIATORS IN EFFECTIVE MEDIATION
The women, peace and security agenda through the adoption of United Nations Security Council Resolution 13251, has identified the need and necessity of women mediators and their required role in bringing peace and harmony through their effective conflict resolving abilities. Though 13 years have passed since the Resolution of 1325, there endures to be a scarcity of women being recognized to the post of senior peacemaking positions viz., the Mediators in effective dispute resolution mechanism of Mediation. Since their participation in dispute resolution remains scanty, their presence and participation in all levels of Mediation also remains poorly represented and understood. In any given circumstances, the general understanding is that women are more aware than men of the problems of legitimating themselves in their mediator role. It is probably another common suspicion or impedimental thought process that women being female gender shall be on the disadvantage side to establish trustworthiness with the parties to the process of Court or private mediation. Women mediators were doubted to maintain the decorum of being ‘Neutral” to the parties in the process of Mediation. All said, women have weathered the negativity, and as mediators, they have steered the right techniques of mediation in successfully making the process to be an acclaimed process of transformation among parties to enter into mutually successful win-win situational agreement of their legal disputes. In the present day Mediation, the role of women as mediators has taken front seat due to their very own assertion in the mediation process of making them acceptable by parties by their sheer persuasive skills and ability to succeed during testing times of impasse. This paper makes an effort to bring out such and several salient features of the need and effectivity of the role played by women as mediators.
Mediation, Alternative Dispute Resolution, Mediator, Judiciary, Women.