In mediation news this week we go to Tanzania where Judge Teemba of the High Court of Tanzania presided over case in which the parties Winifrida Igogo and Mwananchi Communications Limited have consented to mediating their settlement at the Dar es Salaam Mediation Centre.

The initial complaint was from Ms Igogo for mentioning her “numerously” in an article in The Citizen and MwanaSpoti newspapers, both of which Mwananchi Communications Limited publishes. Those articles suggested she was the deep throat source for the information in those articles.

Of course she denies any such interview being given about her employer the Procurement and Supplies Professionals and Technicians Board.

Investigations by the Public Editor's Desk on the article in dispute involved face-to-face interviews with the complainant and author of the article in dispute.

It turned out, after the launch of proceedings, that in fact the author of the report had been asked by one of the directors of the Procurement and Supplies Professionals and Technicians Board to use Ms Igogo as a stooge.

The dispute successfully settled (unsurprisingly) in Ms Igogo’s favour via the process of mediation, and yours could too contact Northwest Mediation to find out how.

Meanwhile, in Vancouver the case of Glynnis Kirchmeier a former student of the University of British Columbia who was pursuing a human rights complaint for discrimination in dealing with reports of sexual assault and harassment has been referred to mediation.

The complaint revolves around the allegation what the University failed to act on complaints about a male PhD student over many months and several victims.

Kirchmeier said "I filed the human-rights complaint because I felt that the university's internal process for handling sexual misconduct reports was just so fundamentally broken that it was not useful any longer to stay within the system,".

A similar complaint has been lodged by a York University (Canada) graduate based upon the university’s sexual assault policy being discriminatory.

Kirchmeier in an effort to be proactive and assist the University, and colleges around the country developed 44 recommendations for better responses to sexual misconduct, some of which call for changes to training.

As with many of those who attend mediation she is well aware of her options if the mediation does not work saying "I'm going in with hope that the university will come to the table in good faith…But my asks are really about institutional restructuring, so I'm prepared to continue all the way."

And for those of you enjoying Sarah Jessica Parker’s latest outing on HBO “Divorce” sees an episode dealing with Frances’ (Jessica Parker) and Robert’s (Thomas Haden Church) attempt to settle matters by mediation.

Given the previous revelations (not least her affair, him locking her out the house, that moustache) and that a single meeting resolution would effectively end the season (if not the entire series) it seems unlikely that mediation will in this fictional setting be anything other than a vehicle for further drama. Divorce is on Sky Atlantic Tuesday night's at 10.10

If you are having a real divorce or separation and would like to try and resolve matters as amicably as possible, or at least without resorting to the expense and emotional stress of using lawyers contact Northwest Mediation on 07931318347 or via email at ed.johnson@northwestmediation.co.uk