Child Abuse Protection CAP

Child maltreatment is defined as the abuse and neglect that is an increasing problem globally. According to World Health Organization Child Maltreatment (Factsheet published June 8, 2020), 1 in every 5 women and 1 in 13

Project Title

Child Abuse Protection CAP

Project Area of Specialization

Wearables and Implantable

Project Summary

Background 

Child maltreatment is defined as the abuse and neglect that is an increasing problem globally. According to World Health Organization Child Maltreatment (Factsheet published June 8, 2020), 1 in every 5 women and 1 in 13 men report having been sexually abused as a child aged 0-17 years. 

Child maltreatment includes all types of physical, emotional, and sexual abuse which affects the child’s mental health and growth. Child maltreatment has enormous immediate and long-term repercussions. Beyond death, physical injury and disability are the heart wrenching effects of child maltreatment. 

One reason of this crime is a lack of awareness in parents to educate their kids hence, many children are unaware if, they are victims of the child abuse. Also, the victims of child maltreatment often, are not comfortable to report / talk about it. In most cases, this situation results in an enhanced sense of disrespect and?impudence. Child maltreatment is difficult to diagnose at?initial?stage and children are not resilient in these panic situations. 

Summary 

Our motive is to design a system that may protect children against the maltreatment.?The proposed concept of the Child Abuse Protection (CAP) prototype shall be an e-Textile based wearable module. The module along with multiple sensors shall be helpful to?monitor?the self-activation of Sympathetic Nervous System (SNS) in any human being. It can detect the pressure and force on the child’s body. The communication channel of GSM coordinates with the centralized controlling platform of the CAP. On collecting the sensitive data, the information can be sent to the registered parents/ guardians as per system threshold. The module is expected to work accurately along various parameters and can be managed through a software during dangerous or panic situations. 

The concept diagram of the system is shown in Figure.1.

Figure.1. Big picture - The concept of the CAP 

Project Objectives

Aim 

To design a wearable-module/ system as an IoT based e-Textile for proactive monitoring of child maltreatment based on carried research. 
 

Objectives 

1. To design a real-time monitoring system for dectecting the child maltreatment. 
2. To develop a prototype of a wearable module (hardware implementation) 
3. To develop an interface (mobile application) for generating alert and tracking location. 
4. To assess the entire system by analysing its results. 

Project Implementation Method

We intend to develop an IoT based e-Textile wearable system which would be able to detect real-time child maltreatment by monitoring the Sympathetic Nervous System (SNS) of a child. According to the research, the Sympathetic Nervous System is one of the divisions of autonomic nervous system. Under panic or stress condition, the entire Sympathetic Nervous System is activated which results in increasing the heart rate, blood pressure, glucose, and sweating. In addition to detection of SNS activation, force and pressure sensors will also be used to make the wearable more accurate to detect abuse. 

The block diagram of the proposed system is shown in Figure.2.

Figure.2. Block diagram of the Proposed Module (CAP) 

Components of the Proposed Module (CAP) 

• Arduino is an integral part of our module that connects all the sensors. It is an open-source electronics platform based on easy-to-use hardware and software.

• Heart rate, blood pressure and sweat sensors would help in monitoring of sympathetic nervous system of child.

• Force and pressure sensors would be able to detect unnecessary touch and pressure on child’s body which also helps to detect physical abuse and bullying.

• A Global Positioning System (GPS) used in our device will trigger the real-time location of child through which parents or guardians can keep track of their child’s whereabouts.

• A Global System for Mobile communications (GSM) is a chip or circuit that will be used to establish communication between our wearable module and mobile application.

• A mobile application shall be developed for generating alarms, tracking the current location, and setting the safe zone for a child. 

• The application shall be designed to receive the alert messages / calls from the wearable module during dangerous and alarming situations.

Proposed Working 

Figure.3. If a child is in Danger or Panic situation

Figure.4. If a child is unconscious (like under anesthesia), abuse will be detected in this situation as well.

Figure.5. Child is being bullied 

Benefits of the Project

Abuse detection is an arduous process, by the rapid advancement in technology we have come to idealize a device that would be used in abuse detection specifically for children as safety concern is a major issue these days. Incidents of kidnapping, child abuse, lost kids, and misbehavior with children are increasing day by day. 

In comparison to other instruments: 

• Our device will be time efficient and more technically feasible so it will be easily available in Pakistan.  

• In addition to that, our device will be user friendly; it can be easily used and handled by anyone that eliminates the need of a technical instructor.  

• Our device will help to gather information of our children’s protection while they are away but still intact with parents through an alarming system attached to the device.  

• In contrast with security reasons our device will be able to keep track of physical changes and neurological changes that takes place in children on daily basis i.e., stress. 

• Our device will contribute to the health sector in a way that people would not ignore their child’s security and mental health due to lack of time or money.  

• This also helps reducing crime rates, and for our forth coming generations to grow in healthy and secure environment. 

Technical Details of Final Deliverable

The final deliverable of Child Abuse Protection (CAP) device may incorporate following two parts:

1.  A wearable module made-up of e-textile with multiple sensors attached. The module can then be used conductive threads to detect abuse. The essential sensors may include for measuring blood pressure, heart rate, sweat / pressure, etc. 
2. An Android application shall be delivered that enables pairing of the hardware device with a smart phone. The application shall be used to receive alert messages and calls from the module. It shall allow parents to track their child's location and current situation. The module – CAP – can also serve as a protective zone for the child. 

Final Deliverable of the Project

HW/SW integrated system

Core Industry

IT

Other Industries

Medical , Health , Telecommunication

Core Technology

Internet of Things (IoT)

Other Technologies

Wearables and Implantables

Sustainable Development Goals

Good Health and Well-Being for People, Gender Equality

Required Resources

If you need this project, please contact me on contact@adikhanofficial.com