Humanitarian forensic action: A new forensic discipline helping to implement international law and construct peace

Abstract

AsbtractHumanitarian forensic action, a novel field of application of forensic science, has evolved to assist the humanitarian response to armed conflicts, other situations of violence and catastrophic events. It is discipline framed by International Humanitarian and Human Rights Law and it was shaped up by the early experience of the Argentine Forensic Anthropology Team and that of the Grandmothers of Plaza de Mayo in Argentina during the 80s and 90s and later developed by international organizations, including the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross. Having demonstrated its worth, including for peace‐building, and evolving rapidly, this new field of application of forensic medicine and science needs further development, integration, and research to meet growing needs at global scale.This article is categorized under: Forensic Medicine > Mass Casualty Management Forensic Anthropology > Anthropology in Mass Disaster & War Crime Contexts Forensic Biology > Ethical and Social Implications