Lithuanian Lawmaker Seeks Overhaul of Mediation Services Amid Coercion Concerns

Lithuanian Liberal Movement faction member Eugenijus Gentvilas has called for changes to the mediation service system, citing concerns about potential coercion and inadequate child protection. He has formally requested action from the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labour, the Lithuanian Chamber of Mediators, and the Child Rights Protection Service.

Gentvilas expressed that in practice, mediators are sometimes chosen by only one parent, with courts then compelling the other parent to accept the mediator's terms and pay for services. He highlighted a lack of standard contracts for mediation services, noting that courts often accept documents prepared by mediation institutions, even if they are unacceptable to parents.

"In practice, it happens that the mediator is not chosen by both parents by mutual agreement, but by one of the parents. Then the court approves this choice, and the other parent is forced to agree to the mediator's conditions and is forced to pay for his services," Gentvilas stated at a press conference. "The problem here is that there are no standard contracts for mediation services."

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In practice, it happens that the mediator is not chosen by both parents by mutual agreement, but by one of the parents. Then the court approves this choice, and the other parent is forced to agree to the mediator's conditions and is forced to pay for his services. The problem here is that there are no standard contracts for mediation services.

He presented a sample agreement prepared by the "Taika Raktai" (Keys of Peace) public institution, which he said binds the client to never appeal the mediator's actions. The agreement also allows the mediator to suspend services if the client is under the influence of alcohol or drugs, based solely on the specialist's doubt about sobriety. "This means that no evidence is needed to establish intoxication, but the specialist's doubt can be grounds to restrict or even revoke the child's custody rights," Gentvilas explained.

In a specific case he mentioned, the child's mother refused to sign a coercive agreement under pressure. An enforcement officer then threatened her with a maximum penalty of 300 euros per day for non-compliance with a court order, according to the parliamentarian. Mediators are institutions that are supposed to provide mandatory consultations and services to parents in court disputes over child custody. Gentvilas noted that while the Ministry of Justice agrees that a template contract could be approved by the Lithuanian Chamber of Mediators, this has not yet been done.

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This means that no evidence is needed to establish intoxication, but the specialist's doubt can be grounds to restrict or even revoke the child's custody rights.