A mediation involves an intervention to facilitate an agreement between two parties.
In order to know the meaning of the term mediation , it is necessary, first of all, to discover its etymological origin. In this case, we can point out that it is a word that derives from Latin, exactly from mediato , which is the result of the sum of two lexical components:
-The adjective medius , which can be translated as "middle" or "common."
-The suffix -cion , which is used to indicate "action and effect."
Mediation concept
The concept of mediation refers to the act and result of mediating . This verb (mediate) has several uses: it can be about interceding for someone, intervening so that two or more parties reach an agreement or reaching the middle of something.
Among the words that can act as synonyms for mediation we find terms such as intercession , conciliation , arbitration , settlement , agreement and even diplomacy , in addition to concord .
In law, mediation is a mechanism that allows resolving a conflict.
The term in law
The notion of mediation is used in the field of law to refer to the action carried out by an individual trusted by those who have a conflict or confrontation, with the aim of avoiding litigation or concluding it through a settlement .
Mediation, in this way, is a mechanism for resolving disputes . The purpose of this resource is to prevent the lawsuit from reaching the court , resolving it first based on an agreement between the parties.
The impartiality and neutrality of the mediator; the confidentiality of the process; and communication between the parties are some of the bases of mediation. Thanks to this resource, the parties can bring their positions closer and reach a consensus that allows the altercation to end.
Types of mediation
There are different types of mediation according to each legislation . In some countries a distinction is made between family mediation , labor mediation , civil mediation and commercial mediation , for example. In others, a distinction is made between voluntary mediation and mandatory mediation .
A historic case of mediation took place in the late 1970s , when Pope John Paul II offered to mediate between Argentina and Chile in the context of these countries' fight over the Beagle Channel . The leader of the Catholic Church sent Cardinal Antonio Samoré to mediate and thus a war conflict was avoided.
School conflict resolution
In the same way, it should not be overlooked that there is also talk of school mediation . We can establish that it is a type of strategy for the prevention and peaceful resolution of conflicts that, as its name indicates, take place within the school environment.
Basically, it is a neutral person who acts as a center mediator who sits with the two opposing parties to try to reach an agreement and find a solution to a conflict that has arisen between them.
In many centers, a school mediation program has been launched in order to achieve important objectives such as improving coexistence in those, having solutions to solve problems peacefully, facilitating a good environment in schools and even promoting concern for the others. Not to mention that this program is also very useful for reducing conflicts.