Gujarat gets world's1st centre for humanitarian forensics

The spike in natural and man-made disasters and the subsequent spike in death toll has given rise to the need for better management of the bodies. Taking the thought forward, Gujarat is set to come up with the world's first international centre for humanitarian forensics. The International Centre for Humanitarian Forensics (ICHF) will facilitate better management of bodies during emergencies such as disasters. It was inaugurated at the Gujarat Forensic Sciences University (GFSU) on Wednesday. The ICHF is a joint venture of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) Regional Delegation for India, Bhutan, Nepal and the Maldives, and GFSU.

Inaugurating the ICHF, MS Dagur, Additional Chief Secretary (Home), Gujarat, said, "Gujarat has always taken lead in implementing innovative ideas. The establishment of the International Center for Humanitarian Forensics is another milestone in this direction."

JM Vyas, Director General, GFSU, said: "Large numbers of people are becoming victims of natural and man-made calamities and their identification becomes a challenge. This centre will help in proper management of bodies in times of crisis." People tend to get more traumatised in situations when a family member goes missing and his/ her body is also not found. This is when the need for such centres is felt.

"The university will run different courses, including postgraduate and graduate diploma courses in Humanitarian Forensics. Together, we will also be training the staff who are pressed to action during calamities," said Jeremy England, Head of Regional Delegation, ICRC.

A memorandum of understanding was also signed between GFSU and ICRC for cooperation in the field of academics, undertaking local and international projects, teaching and training, research and development, and other efforts to address contemporary issues and challenges in the use of forensic sciences for humanitarian purpose.

Speaking about his experience during the recent Nepal earthquake, Uwon Eze, Coordinator of ICHF, who handles forensics in Nepal, India, Bhutan, and the Maldives, said, "The biggest challenge during the earthquake was to coordinate with different agencies and families and manage the bodies. For example, estimating the age of the children becomes very important in such situations."