Source: Courtesy of Canada’s Department of National Defence
Forensic techniques can be used to identify and lay to rest casualties of war. In the photo, Private Kenneth Donald Duncanson, a second world war soldier whose remains were identified by Canada’s Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces in May 2016, is laid to rest with military honours by his unit in Adegem Canadian War Cemetery outside Bruges, Belgium.
Providing medical care, housing, food and a safe place are what many would list as humanitarian activities in response to armed conflict and catastrophes. Less often listed is the rendering of forensic science aid. But managing the dead with dignity, identifying them and providing answers to loved ones and communities are the aims of Humanitarian Forensic Action (HFA).