May 26, 2009, Lima, Peru: Members of the Peruvian Forensic Anthropology Team (EPAF) recently participated in a forensic training for members of the criminal justice profession in Venezuela.

The “Forensic Investigation Training for Justice Operators” was held May 13 and 14, and was organized by the Chair of Peace and Human Rights, Oscar Arnulfo Romero, and the Universidad de los Andes.

The workshop was part of EPAF´s global training initiative, which seeks to facilitate communication and joint efforts among different actors involved in finding the “disappeared” — such as relatives, forensic investigators, police, and prosecutors. EPAF is a partner of The Advocacy Project (AP).

Last week’s workshop included theoretical sessions, held in the mornings, which covered the various elements of forensic investigations, and hands-on sessions in the afternoons. Participants learned about the recovery of evidence and recording of the crime scene, post mortem analysis and determination of the cause of death, and DNA analysis. They also practiced identifying and recovering evidence at model crime scenes created specially for the training.

The workshop concluded with a session on interpretation of evidence, which covered patterns found in the investigation of crimes, past examples, and case studies.

EPAF has previously conducted similar workshops in Peru and the Phillipines.