Improving witness interviewing for the investigation of disappeared persons due to armed conflict
Investigating missing persons who are presumed dead in conflict contexts almost always involves witness interviews. Interviews can be critical both to locating burial sites and to positively identifying bodies that are located. Despite the importance of interviews, the authors have found that invest...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Oxford University Press
2021-11-01
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| Series: | Forensic Sciences Research |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/20961790.2021.2009626 |
| _version_ | 1797766414517403648 |
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| author | Derek Congram Maria Mikellide Matthew Vennemeyer |
| author_facet | Derek Congram Maria Mikellide Matthew Vennemeyer |
| author_sort | Derek Congram |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Investigating missing persons who are presumed dead in conflict contexts almost always involves witness interviews. Interviews can be critical both to locating burial sites and to positively identifying bodies that are located. Despite the importance of interviews, the authors have found that investigators in these contexts seldom have formal training on interviewing. This article highlights three principal problems that the authors have experienced relative to interviewing as part of missing persons investigations in armed conflict contexts: that interviewing is not treated as a professional activity; the tendency to overvalue technical tools in the search for burial sites; and a lack of awareness about cultural and contextual factors that impact interviews. The article concludes with five recommendations on how to improve witness interviewing. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-12T20:25:00Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-ff0bdfd9a90447b3985dc7503f1ef7c4 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2096-1790 2471-1411 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-12T20:25:00Z |
| publishDate | 2021-11-01 |
| publisher | Oxford University Press |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Forensic Sciences Research |
| spelling | doaj.art-ff0bdfd9a90447b3985dc7503f1ef7c42023-08-02T00:39:06ZengOxford University PressForensic Sciences Research2096-17902471-14112021-11-010011210.1080/20961790.2021.20096262009626Improving witness interviewing for the investigation of disappeared persons due to armed conflictDerek Congram0Maria Mikellide1Matthew Vennemeyer2International Committee of the Red CrossInternational Committee of the Red CrossInternational Committee of the Red CrossInvestigating missing persons who are presumed dead in conflict contexts almost always involves witness interviews. Interviews can be critical both to locating burial sites and to positively identifying bodies that are located. Despite the importance of interviews, the authors have found that investigators in these contexts seldom have formal training on interviewing. This article highlights three principal problems that the authors have experienced relative to interviewing as part of missing persons investigations in armed conflict contexts: that interviewing is not treated as a professional activity; the tendency to overvalue technical tools in the search for burial sites; and a lack of awareness about cultural and contextual factors that impact interviews. The article concludes with five recommendations on how to improve witness interviewing.http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/20961790.2021.2009626forensic sciencesmissing personswitness interviewhumanitarian forensics |
| spellingShingle | Derek Congram Maria Mikellide Matthew Vennemeyer Improving witness interviewing for the investigation of disappeared persons due to armed conflict Forensic Sciences Research forensic sciences missing persons witness interview humanitarian forensics |
| title | Improving witness interviewing for the investigation of disappeared persons due to armed conflict |
| title_full | Improving witness interviewing for the investigation of disappeared persons due to armed conflict |
| title_fullStr | Improving witness interviewing for the investigation of disappeared persons due to armed conflict |
| title_full_unstemmed | Improving witness interviewing for the investigation of disappeared persons due to armed conflict |
| title_short | Improving witness interviewing for the investigation of disappeared persons due to armed conflict |
| title_sort | improving witness interviewing for the investigation of disappeared persons due to armed conflict |
| topic | forensic sciences missing persons witness interview humanitarian forensics |
| url | http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/20961790.2021.2009626 |
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