DOHA: Considering an increasing number of marital and family disputes in the country, an apex judicial body has ruled that the court should open trial in a case only after state family counselors have failed to resolve it amicably.
In other words, it is understood that all marital and family disputes are to be first referred by the courts to state-backed Family Counseling Centre (FCC).
And only after it is confirmed that the dispute cannot be resolved amicably is a case to be referred back to the court to begin trial.
A record 3,000 court cases of marital disputes were referred for rapprochement to the Family Counseling Centre (FCC) last year which was successful in resolving 47 percent of them.
Head of the Family Reforms Section at the FCC, Dr Hasan bin Salem Al Bariki, told Al Arab that the Centre amicably resolved 80 percent of family disputes that were brought to it directly for settlement. The employees of the Center are interested in solving the cases referred by the court compared to those submitted directly to the Center because they believe such cases referred by the courts are more challenging for settlements, Said Al Bariki.
FCC signed an agreement with the Supreme Judicial Council to refer the family disputes without opening the trials, if FCC failed to resolve it amicably the court starts the hearing, he added, Al Arab reported yesterday.
The Peninsula
