Don't set mediation targets.

Given the reality that divorces account for approximately 30% of new marriages, a National Assembly representative from Quang Tri province has proposed setting specific targets for the success rate of mediation in resolving divorce cases for the judicial system. This proposal has prompted much reflection.

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In the context of rising divorce rates (approximately 60,000 cases per year nationwide), emphasizing the role of mediation is a humane policy aimed at mending families. Everyone wants the building blocks of society to be stable. Everyone feels sorrow when they see children growing up without a father or mother. But is "delegating" happiness to judges through quotas the appropriate solution? "All happy families are alike, but unhappy families are all different," Lev Tolstoy wrote in the 19th century, and this remains true today.

No one understands marriage better than those involved, and breakdowns don't begin at the courthouse gates. The damage can build up from a husband's suppressed patience, physical abuse of the wife, or simply from silent meals.

Courts, by their very nature, are places that confirm legal terminations, not places that can rekindle emotional beginnings. Judges are legal experts who make decisions based on evidence, not psychologists or marriage therapists to mend cold hearts.

The essence of mediation is the voluntary participation of the parties. When mediation becomes a quantifiable target, the risk of negative consequences is very high. To achieve the target, judges may exert pressure, either tangible or intangible, on the parties to successfully reach a settlement.

In many cases, divorce is necessary to end domestic violence, prolonged conflict, or to free the woman. If forced to maintain a marriage in name only, the safety and genuine happiness of both parties may be threatened.

Driven by the pressure to improve reported figures, marriages that have lost their vitality may be salvaged. Therefore, instead of setting quotas for the courts, there should be a fundamental change. For lawmakers, a mechanism could be established to mandate or encourage professional mediation before processing divorce cases, but this should be conducted by family counseling centers, separate from the court process. For the government, pre-marital education could be required before marriage registration, and perhaps additional "mental health" certifications could be needed before entering married life.

The proposal to set specific targets for the success rate of mediation in divorce cases stems from good intentions and humanistic values. However, the happiness of a family cannot be simply a number in anyone's performance report. Only when both partners make an effort to build a lasting family can the divorce rate in society be reduced.

Source: https://baothainguyen.vn/xa-hoi/202512/dung-giao-chi-tieu-hoa-giai-e93012d/