The Ministry of Justice is seeking to increase the number of reconciliation offices in courts and provide more female employees and social workers, Al-Watan newspaper reported. The step comes after the ministry received a number of requests from women to make those offices more accessible to them so that they can better understand their legal rights. A judicial source said these offices would contribute to finding multiple solutions to disagreements on issues of inheritance, disobedience and marital disputes, including personal status issues such as divorce and child custody as well as human rights violations. He pointed that the number of cases in which marital reconciliation offices solved during the past year amounted to 10,670, with marital and family issues constituting 56 percent of the cases. The total number of cases received by the courts during the year was 17,086. Legal consultant Rayan Mufti pointed out that the Ministry of Justice dictates in its employment rules that it is not permissible for a ministry employee to initiate a request for the reconciliation a plaintiff with a relative or family member. The employee is also banned from assuming the role of mediator between parties involved in a dispute, including the agent or lawyer of one of the parties, as well as anyone associated with the conflict in any manner. Social researcher Saleh Yousuf explained that divorce, custody and alimony issues could be preceded by a dispute between the couple so it is important to have reconciliation offices to resolve those issues.
