STRENGTHENING FORENSIC AND MEDICOLEGAL CAPACITY IN AFRICA
The African Centre for Medicolegal Systems (ACMS) was officially launched in Pretoria, South Africa, on 8 November 2022, marking a major step forward in the effort to strengthen forensic and medicolegal capacity in Africa.
The ACMS creates a network of African forensic and medicolegal policymakers and practitioners to promote forensic and medicolegal expertise and resources within the region and globally. The goal of the ACMS is to inform policymakers, improve the professional response of practitioners in medicolegal systems, and exchange lessons learned and best practices by convening regional events and coordinating and collaborating with African and international policy and practice communities.
MISSION
The mission of the African Centre for Medicolegal Systems is to support the African region by addressing the needs of the populations affected by armed conflict, disasters and migration, improving multidisciplinary public service programmes through humanitarian forensic principles and practices implemented and practiced by judicial and medicolegal communities. We believe that by working together, we can improve all medicolegal systems throughout Africa and assist families affected by the loss of missing loved ones. By collaborating and coordinating efforts among international organizations, the African Centre for Medicolegal Systems empowers people at all levels within the justice and medicolegal systems to adopt humanitarian principles and practices for all victims, in all circumstances.
ACTIVITIES
In June 2022, the ACMS began its work by collaborating with DNAforAfrica at a symposium in Nairobi. Working with DNAforAfrica demonstrated the value of the ICRC engaging collaboratively with other organizations and institutions at the regional level to extend awareness-raising and training on humanitarian forensic action to a wider African forensic audience.
THE INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATION CONSORTIUM
In November 2022, immediately after its official launch, the ACMS hosted its first two-day International Organization Consortium meeting for justice and medicolegal capacity-building. The consortium brought together representatives from various regional and international agencies, including the ICRC Forensic Unit, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, the African Union Commission and Interpol, to discuss potential collaboration among agencies in the area of forensic and medicolegal capacity-building in Africa. It secured a commitment from the representatives of the various agencies in attendance to improve collaboration and coordination in African justice and medicolegal capacity-building.
THE AFRICAN FORENSIC SCIENCES ACADEMY
The ACMS also convened a working group, in December 2022, to plan for the establishment of an African Forensic Sciences Academy. The ambition for the academy is to be a sustainable and professional association of forensic science practitioners that will create and promote uniformity within forensic science practice in Africa, lend credibility and visibility to the strong forensic community in Africa, promote African expertise and improve professional standards, certification, regulation and accreditation in all forensic sciences disciplines. The academy will be the first of its kind on the African continent and will provide a unique platform for exchanging knowledge and experience in forensic science. The academy will be announced officially at the March 2023 African Society of Forensic Medicine Conference in Kigali, Rwanda.