Humanitarian forensic action in East Asia: where are we now? A concise review

Abstract

Abstract Humanitarian forensic action (HFA) is practiced in many parts of the world. In recent years, with the development of forensic humanitarian methods and applications and the increasing inclusion or even prioritisation of HFA by organisations and institutions, research in this field has evidenced greater depth and diversity, although perspectives from the humanities and some disciplines remain limited. In-depth inquiries into this topic and an analysis of regional humanitarian data reveal the existence of ideological and cultural foundations for HFA in East Asia. At the same time, given past occurrences of natural disasters and large-scale wars in this region, the need and motivation for advancing this field and developing HFA is considerable. Currently, because of a lack of practical experience of HFA in East Asia, research on this relevant topic in the region focuses on the development of humanitarian forensic applications. Consequently, studies reporting on social surveys, psychological care, and other methods are limited. It is to be hoped that East Asian countries will improve their practical HFA applications, while simultaneously carrying out social surveys and social scientific research on all aspects of HFA.