Hyderabad, June 30, 2025: A landmark initiative in conflict resolution concluded on Sunday night with the successful completion of India’s first-of-its-kind Family Mediation Training Program. The 7-day, 60-hour intensive workshop, held at the International Arbitration and Mediation Centre (IAMC), Gachibowli, was jointly organized by the Invisible Scars Foundation and IAMC Hyderabad.
The program was exclusively designed for non-legal professionals working in the Gender-Based Violence (GBV) space. It was fully funded under the CSR mandate of Centific, a global digital solutions company.
“This marks the beginning of a new era—where family mediators are trained to support survivors of domestic violence and restore peace with dignity,” said the organizers.
Shri CH. Panchakshari, Hon’ble District & Sessions Judge and Member Secretary, Telangana State Legal Services Authority, High Court for the State of Telangana, graced the closing ceremony as Chief Guest. He emphasized the growing need for community mediation, sharing examples from districts like Nizamabad, Kamareddy, Bodhan, Armoor, and Warangal, where such initiatives are already showing encouraging results.
“Disputes between spouses often arise over trivial matters. If they sit and talk, many issues can be resolved without court intervention,” he observed. “We need more community mediation centers to prevent the pile-up of family cases in courts.”
He also highlighted that mediation is not new to India, citing mythological examples such as Lord Krishna’s role as a mediator in the Mahabharata. “When mediation fails, it leads to destruction—as we’ve seen in our epics,” he added.
The workshop brought together 32 participants from across India—Ajmer, Bangalore, Bhubaneswar, Chennai, Delhi, Hazaribagh, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai, Nalgonda, Pune, and Warangal. The cohort included social workers, psychologists, and law enforcement officers, now certified as Family Mediators.
Upon certification, they will be empanelled with IAMC and support conflict resolution across programs in GBV, WASH, education, and health, directly within their communities.
The training was conducted by a nationally respected panel of experts. They include
Susheela Sarathi – Senior Trainer, MCPC – (Mediation and Conciliation Project Committee) of Supreme court of India. She has trained many advocates, Judges of Lower and Higher Judiciary, and Professionals from various walks of life in Mediation.
Tanu Mehta – Mediator and Trainer, Mumbai; K.S. Sarma, the Founder and Director of HAMPS (Hamps Bio Ltd) with a background in the broadcasting industry, having served as CEO of Prasar Bharati and Director General of Doordarshan; Dr. Varudhini Kankipati – Co-Founder, Inner Connect Psychological Counselling Centre, a professional counseling service provider
The program was inaugurated by Ms. Shikha Goel, IPS, Director General, Telangana Cyber Security Bureau, who also shared her personal experience as a trained mediator and urged more professionals to embrace this transformative tool.
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’s a major step toward building a survivor-first support system.“
AJ Jawad, Lead Faculty and Registrar, IAMC, added: “This program is a national first. For the first time, we are empowering non-legal professionals with real-world mediation tools to address family and domestic disputes.”
The curriculum covered critical modules on trauma, communication, family law, negotiation, and ethics, with both theoretical and practical assessments.
As domestic conflict and abuse rise across India, there is an urgent need for faster, sensitive, and trauma-informed dispute resolution. Family mediation ensures privacy, dignity, and timely outcomes—providing a real alternative to prolonged and painful court cases.
This initiative sets the foundation for an India-wide network of certified family mediators—a vital need in today’s emotionally fractured world.
