Human rights and humanitarian forensic action: the experience in Uruguay

Abstract

The daily practice of Forensic Medicine and Forensic Sciences is closely related to human rights, as it implies the study of phenomena such as violent deaths, sexual crimes, gender-based violence, different forms of child abuse, torture, deaths in custody and patients’ rights. The very ethics of the professional practice, as agreed in the Ethical Principles Guidelines of the Red Iberoamericana de Instituciones de Medicina Legal y Ciencias Forenses (Ibero-American Network of Institutions of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences), involves the core axiological foundation of respect for human rights, including those of all persons with whom professionals interact in their work, whether primary victims, secondary victims or perpetrators.