Humanitarian forensic scientists trace the missing, identify the dead and comfort the living

[imstilla.grandma]

The word “forensic” is typically associated with crimes and legal disputes. Forensic medicine, for example, applies medical knowledge to establish the causes of injury or death.

But forensic science can have a humanitarian role, too. Working under international humanitarian law rather than local or federal criminal systems, these forensic experts help ensure the proper identification and respectful handling of people who die during war, natural disaster and migration, preventing them from becoming missing persons.
Humanitarian forensic scientists trace the missing, identify the dead and comfort the living