Conducting a Specialized Workshop on the Role of Forensic Medicine in Sexual Violence Crimes

On 24–25 January 2025, within the framework of the project “Providing Legal Services to Survivors of Sexual Assault Crimes,” the Investigator Organization for Supporting the Rule of Law and Democracy، in partnership with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and with financial support from the Government of the United Kingdom (UK Aid), conducted a two-day workshop in Erbil.
The workshop was attended by 20 judges and public prosecutors, under the title “The Role of Forensic Medicine in Investigating Sexual Violence Crimes.”
The workshop sessions and topics were delivered by Dr. Barzan Mohammed Ali Faraj, Director of the Sulaymaniyah Institute of Forensic Medicine. The workshop addressed the history of forensic medicine in Iraq and Kurdistan, the role of forensic medicine in investigating sexual violence crimes, methods of collecting medical evidence in such cases, as well as types of physical injuries and bodily harm.
The workshop represented a step toward strengthening the knowledge and capacity of judges and public prosecutors in using forensic medical information and evidence in the investigation and trial of sexual violence crimes.