🇱🇰 Sri Lanka: A Quiet Community Mediation Success in People-Centred Justice

by Cooling Off - The MFSD’s Digital Review

A Home-Grown Hybrid Justice Model

Sri Lanka has developed one of the most extensive and trusted community-based mediation systems in the world. For more than three decades, the nationwide network of Community Mediation Boards (CMBs) has provided fast, accessible and low-cost dispute resolution, handling hundreds of thousands of cases each year with consistently high levels of public confidence.

The system is deliberately hybrid. It combines central oversight by the Ministry of Justice and the Mediation Boards Commission with delivery at community level by trained, unpaid volunteer mediators. It is also distinctly home-grown, building on long-standing village-level practices of consensual dispute resolution, later formalised through legislation in the late 1980s.

Nationwide Reach and Everyday Disputes

Today, more than 329 Community Mediation operate across the country, supported by approximately 8,500 volunteer mediators. Their jurisdiction covers a wide spectrum of everyday conflicts, including neighbour disputes, land and boundary matters, small financial and loan disputes, family disagreements and selected minor criminal offences.

This extensive reach allows justice to be delivered close to where people live, often in familiar and neutral community settings rather than formal courtrooms.

Managing Disputes at Scale

The volume of work handled by the system is striking. In 2023 alone, the Boards registered over 211,000 new disputes and carried forward approximately 35,000 from the previous year, approaching a total of 250,000 matters.

Of these, around 98,000 disputes proceeded to mediation, with 67,751 concluding in signed settlement agreements. This represents a settlement rate of almost 69 per cent. When withdrawals and other forms of case closure are included, more than four-fifths of all registered disputes were resolved within the year.

Settlements That Endure

The value of the CMB system lies not only in numbers but in the quality of outcomes. Mediation encourages interest-based solutions shaped through dialogue, allowing parties to reach agreements that are perceived as fair and workable in practice. These consensual settlements tend to be more durable and less prone to relapse than imposed decisions.

Recognising its effectiveness, the State has expanded the model by establishing specialised boards with parallel mandates, notably in the areas of land and financial disputes, where technical knowledge and consistency are particularly important.

Justice at Minimal Cost

Accessibility is a defining feature of the system. For users, filing a case costs only five Sri Lankan rupees, a purely symbolic fee. Legal representation is neither required nor customary, and incidental expenses are minimal, rarely exceeding a few hundred rupees per case.

From the public finance perspective, the system is equally efficient. Mediators serve on a voluntary basis, receiving only a modest travel allowance per sitting. The entire national network operates on an annual budget of approximately LKR 1.14 billion (around USD 3.8 million). This equates to an average cost of roughly USD 19 per dispute handled and USD 57 per successful settlement—figures that stand in stark contrast to the costs associated with formal court proceedings.

Relieving Pressure on the Courts

Sri Lanka’s formal judiciary faces significant backlogs, with many cases lasting for years. Community Mediation Boards function as an effective pressure-release mechanism. By law, civil disputes must be concluded within 60 days and certain minor criminal matters within 30 days. In practice, the average case is resolved in approximately 37 days.

By diverting high volumes of lower-level disputes, the system allows courts to concentrate their resources on more complex and serious litigation.

Public Trust and User Experience

User satisfaction provides the most compelling validation of the model. Surveys conducted in 2024 indicate that 83 per cent of disputants were satisfied with their outcomes, and nearly 90 per cent would recommend the Boards to others. These figures have remained stable across regions, genders and ethnic communities.

In areas with significant Tamil and Muslim populations, users particularly value the ability to speak in their own language and to be heard in a respectful, non-adversarial environment. Practical considerations also matter: hearings are often held in schools, temples or community halls, sometimes at weekends, reducing disruption to work and family life.

Conclusione: A Model with Global Relevance

For more than thirty years, Sri Lanka’s Community Mediation Boards have quietly demonstrated that people-centred justice can be delivered at scale: quickly, affordably and with public trust. While challenges remain—particularly in relation to facilities, public awareness and ongoing training—the system stands as a credible nationwide alternative to congested courts.

At a time when legal systems worldwide are strained by cost and delay, Sri Lanka offers a practical reminder that accessible and effective justice is not an abstract aspiration, but an achievable institutional choice.