News and press interest – 7th May 2004

One of  Inforce Foundation’s aims is to provide forensic training in post-conflict countries as a means of empowering survivor communities. A UK based charity, Comic Relief, have granted us £45K to undertake a feasibility study into creating such a provision in Rwanda. The study will be undertaken later this year. Comic Relief fund humanitarian work in Africa and in the UK and in this case, the funding will allow us to help the people of Rwanda in their continuing struggle to come to terms with the genocide of 1994. By doing so we aim to empower them in a way that may help prevent such slaughter from occurring again.

Over one million Tutsi and moderate Hutu were killed during 100 days of slaughter in 1994. As Rwanda continues to come to terms with its past, Inforce is playing a role in the growing international movement to prevent future genocides. The feasibility study is designed to assess if there is a need for training in the forensic sciences in Rwanda. This is both a practical issue and a cultural one. We are concerned not only to explore how such training can be delivered, involving local partners, but also whether or not the government and local people consider it appropriate and necessary. It is hoped that empowering people through an extensive and sustainable training programme designed to allow them to develop their own expertise will generate an infrastructure capable of supporting future investigations, and any legal proceedings. Further to this, we also hope to deter future perpetrators of such crime.