Case Study 1

Child Violence

Omar Obeid

LAS208

Dr. Claire El-Jor Al Sayegh

Case Study 2

Empowering Communities for Child Safety: A Digital Platform Approach

"Children are the world's most valuable resource and its best hope for the future (John F.
Kennedy, 1963). Child violence is still, and hopefully will not be, one of the major issues our
communities are suffering from. All types of physical, sexual, and emotional abuse, as well as
neglect, careless handling, and exploitation, are considered forms of violence against children
and teenagers (PAHO/WHO, n.d.). Various forms of violence encompass abuse and neglect of
children, peer pressure and physical altercations, sexual assault and relationship violence, and
assault linked to peer and gang violence, PAHO/WHO indicated. It could begin in younger age
groups, intensify throughout time, and last well into adulthood. A study done by Usta et al.
(2012) that examined the frequency, contributing variables, and repercussions of domestic child
abuse in Lebanon showed that approximately 30% of the children reported at least one incident
of witnessing violence, 65% reported at least one incident of psychological abuse, and 54%
reported at least one incident of physical abuse over a 1-year period. I personally witnessed one
child violence case, where our neighbor Imad (9 years old) is abused and bullied by his friends
for having pronounation problems, which is therefore affecting his mental health and well-being.

Community engagement is essential to tackling and resolving the widespread problem of child
violence. We can make sure that the solutions put in place are long-term sustainable, in addition
to being successful, by incorporating the community. Therefore, effective strategies must be
followed for engaging the community. For example, community workshops and meetings: to
address the problem of child violence, arrange workshops and gatherings with local leaders,
educators, parents, and kids (Kimbrough-Melton & Campbell, 2008). Moreover, conduct surveys
and questionnaires to gather data on child abuse prevalence in the community, identifying areas
requiring immediate attention, Campbell added. Collaboration with local organizations and youth
leadership programs may also enhance child protection and empower children to advocate for
change and safety in their communities.

As a student of computer science, I suggest creating an all-encompassing, neighborhood-based

platform for child protection. This digital platform will function as a multipurpose tool for
community education, reporting, and the prevention of child abuse. It will consist of a website
and a mobile application that serve many stakeholders, such as kids, parents, teachers, and local
government. The platform will include instructional materials, a secure area for incident
reporting, and tools to encourage support and involvement from the community. The platform is
designed to enhance community safety through a number of features, such as adult and child-
friendly educational materials on violence prevention, a private incident reporting system for
anonymous reports to law enforcement, a victim support network that provides counseling and
legal support, real-time safety alerts and notifications, and a youth engagement module that
encourages leadership and involvement in safety initiatives. The platform is implemented in five
stages: first, research and support are coordinated with local entities; this is followed by agile
development of the platform with an emphasis on security and user experience. After that, a pilot
program is started to get user input for improvements. A large-scale launch then encourages
broad acceptance via a variety of media and occasions. Finally, to maintain the platform's
efficacy and applicability, it is constantly improved and supported, responding to community
demands and providing frequent user training. Potential benefits include community
empowerment, increased reporting and interventions, and enhanced awareness and education.
Case Study 3

The feasibility assessment for the child safety platform comprises estimates for the initial
development budget, which ranges from $50,000 to $100,000 and covers design through
deployment; it also includes continuing operating expenses, which range from $2,000 to $5,000
per month for hosting, updates, and maintenance. Allocating resources necessitates working with
local groups to provide content and support, investing in cloud hosting and cybersecurity, and
assembling a project team of developers, managers, UI/UX designers, and content producers.
The timeline, which outlines a structured approach to ensure the project's success, goes from
research and collaboration (1-3 months) to development (4-6 months), a pilot phase with
feedback collection (2 months), a full launch and promotion (1 month), and ongoing support and
enhancement. On the other hand, the implementation of this project faces challenges such as
funding, user adoption, privacy and security, and cultural sensitivity and inclusivity. Thus, a
comprehensive strategy is required to create and sustain a successful child safety platform. This
includes raising money through grants, partnerships, crowdfunding, and corporate social
responsibility initiatives; guaranteeing widespread adoption through focused marketing, working
with local and educational organizations, and offering user education; protecting privacy through
strong encryption and cybersecurity measures; and promoting inclusivity and cultural sensitivity
through multilingual support and accessibility features.

The ethical considerations in developing a community-based child safety platform emphasize

openness, nondiscrimination, privacy, informed consent, psychological effects, and communal
effects. Users' privacy and trust are guaranteed by protecting sensitive data using encryption and
according to regulatory requirements. It is important to communicate clearly about data usage
and parental consent in order to obtain informed consent, especially from youngsters. Inclusivity
is addressed by providing accessibility in numerous languages and for all members of the
community, including those with impairments. Working together with psychologists facilitates
the creation of instructional materials that are mindful of users' mental health. Positive
community service is ensured by keeping an eye on the platform's social effects and making
necessary adjustments depending on user feedback. Incorporating tools for customer input,
together with transparency in the platform's operations and data management, promotes
accountability and trust. Through three main strategies, the project prioritizes mental and
emotional health by incorporating well-being metrics into impact assessments, ensures
inclusivity by consulting diverse community groups during the design phase, and enhances
collective well-being by providing the community with protective tools and resources.

The community-based child safety platform aims for a lasting positive impact on community
well-being via improving security and awareness, educating people to take charge of their own
lives, creating long-lasting support systems, being scalable to meet future demands, delivering
data-driven policy insights, and promoting communal harmony. The platform is intended to
create a safer, more informed, and cohesive community environment by increasing awareness of
and non-tolerance for child violence, empowering the community with knowledge and resources,
connecting victims to support services, adapting to changing needs, and leveraging data for
effective interventions. Ultimately, this will result in a decrease in child violence incidents and
an increase in the general well-being and resilience of the community.

Finally, we are tasked with facing and eliminating the violence that hangs over children as we
embrace the vision expressed by John F. Kennedy, seeing them as the light of our future.
Case Study 4

References

Child Abuse Quotes (921 quotes).(n.d.). https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/child-

abuse

Usta, J., Farver, J. M., & Danachi, D. (2012). Child maltreatment: the Lebanese

children’s experiences. Child: Care, Health and Development, 39(2), 228–

236. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2214.2011.01359.x

Violence against children. (n.d.). PAHO/WHO | Pan American Health

Organization. https://www.paho.org/en/topics/violence-against-

children#:~:text=Violence%20against%20children%20and%20youth,home

%20and%20in%20the%20community.

Kimbrough-Melton, R., Campbell,D. Robust Communities for Kids: An All-

encompassing Strategy to Stop Child Abuse and Neglect. Vol. 31.

https://www.jstor.org/stable/44954671. pp. 100-112.