Hyderabad: Invisible Scars, IAMC train 32 social workers to promote mediated family disputes

Hyderabad: In a landmark initiative for dispute resolution in India, 32 social workers and allied professionals from across the country have been certified as Family Mediators following a first-of-its-kind training program held in Hyderabad.

The seven-day, 70-hour intensive Family Mediation Training Program was jointly organised by Invisible Scars Foundation and the International Arbitration and Mediation Centre (IAMC), Hyderabad. The program was fully funded under the CSR initiative of Centific, a global digital solutions company.

Telangana’s lead in community mediation

Telangana has been making strides in community mediation and domestic violence response. Courts in the state have consistently encouraged mediated settlements, particularly in family matters.

An important feature of family mediation, as highlighted during the workshop, is that once a dispute is resolved through the process, it cannot be challenged in court, saving both parties time, money, and emotional energy.

Bridging legal systems and community care

The training was specifically designed for non-legal professionals working in the development sector, including social workers, psychologists and community-based law enforcement personnel.

Ekta Viiveck Verma, founder of Invisible Scars Foundation, noted, “Family mediation is not just a legal tool, it’s a healing process. This program equips grassroots professionals with skills to resolve conflicts with empathy and dignity. It is a major step toward building a survivor-first support system.”

Massive pendency in courts

With over 4.91 lakh domestic violence cases pending in Indian courts, experts have highlighted the growing need for alternative dispute resolution systems that are both effective and sensitive.

“Disputes between spouses often arise over trivial matters. If they sit and talk, many issues can be resolved without court intervention, but that is not happening. We need more mediators to prevent the pile-up of family cases in courts,” stated a facilitator.

AJ Jawad, lead faculty and registrar, IAMC, said, “This program was a national first. For the first time, we are empowering non-legal professionals with real-world mediation tools to address family and domestic disputes.”

A national cohort of family mediators

The training brought together participants from a wide range of regions, including Ajmer, Bangalore, Bhubaneswar, Chennai, Delhi, Hazaribagh, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai, Nalgonda, Pune and Warangal.

Upon certification, they are now empanelled with IAMC and will support conflict resolution across programs in gender-based violence (GBV), water and sanitation (WASH), education and health.

The curriculum included trauma-informed approaches, family law fundamentals, communication strategies, negotiation techniques and ethics, assessed through both theory and practical sessions.

Although national data is limited, anecdotal evidence suggests that 50-60% of cases referred to mediation are being successfully settled, an encouraging trend for courts and communities alike.

Law enforcement and mediation

The training was inaugurated by Shikha Goel, IPS, Director General, Telangana Cyber Security Bureau, who is also a trained mediator. Sharing her experience, she urged more professionals in policing and community care to adopt mediation as a transformative tool.

More training sessions to follow

Due to the overwhelming response, Invisible Scars Foundation is now planning more such training programs.

“We are receiving many requests for training,” said Ekta Viiveck Verma. “We are also looking for philanthropic organisations to join hands and train more mediators across the country.”

As domestic conflicts continue to rise, the need for sensitive, community-based and trauma-informed approaches is more critical than ever. With this initiative, India takes an important step toward creating a nationwide network of trained family mediators, ready to shift the conversation from confrontation to compassion.