CHAPTER I

Introduction

The Decision Support for Violence Against Women and Children Information System is

an important instrument for addressing the issue of violence against women and

children. According to a study by BRAC Research and Evaluation Division (RED), 78%

of the reported incidents of violence are directed towards women (Karim et al. 2010).

More than two-thirds of the raped victims are children, aged between five to fifteen

years. This high rate of violence against women and children is ‘an obstacle to the

achievement of equality, development and peace” (Johnson et al. 2008). According to

the World Health Organization (WHO), one in every three women globally experiences

physical or sexual assault, most often by an intimate partner. Youngsters are also at

risk, with an estimated 1 billion youngsters suffering violence each year. These

numbers show the critical need for effective interventions to prevent and respond to

violence against women and children. The system will collect information on incidents

of violence against women and children, such as the type and intensity of the violence,

the location and time of the occurrence, and the demographic characteristics of the

victims and perpetrators. The data will be evaluated to determine trends and patterns

in the occurrence of violence, as well as the factors that contribute to it.

The goal of this capstone project is to create a decision-support system that can

provide decision-makers with accurate and timely information on incidents of violence

 2

against women and children, as well as evidence-based interventions that have been

shown to be effective in preventing and responding to such violence. Based on the

data collected and processed by the system, these interventions will be adapted to the

community's individual needs and conditions. The system will collect data from a

variety of sources, including police reports, hospital records, and social service

agencies, and will employ advanced techniques to uncover patterns and trends in the

occurrence of violence.

The system will be available to the Department of Social Welfare and Development in

the Negros Occidental. It will also be designed to protect the privacy and confidentiality

of both victims and perpetrators of abuse. With the need for effective interventions to

prevent and respond to violence against women and children, this capstone project

has the potential to significantly contribute to this vital cause by establishing a decision

support system that can give decision-makers with the information they need to make

educated decisions and take effective action.

1.1 Background of the Study

Violence against women and children is a widespread and serious issue

that affects civilizations all around the world. It comprises a wide range of abuses,

including physical, sexual, psychological, and economic violence, all of which have
 3

serious and long-term implications for the victims. Majority of witnesses to the abuse

were women between 16 and 20 years old while the victims were between 16 and 30

years old. Emotional abuse is the most common type witnessed regardless of age,

location, civil status, occupation, or educational attainment. While physical abuse is the

most common type experienced by the victims, it is frequently perpetrated by their

former husbands. Addressing and preventing violence necessitates collaborative

efforts from a wide range of stakeholders, including government agencies,

non-governmental organizations, law enforcement, and social service providers.

To effectively address violence against women and children, it is critical to have

access to accurate, timely, and comprehensive information that can help to make

informed decisions and take targeted actions to prevent violence and help survivors.

The goal of this research is to create a decision support system for violence against

women and children that will help some Municipalities located in the northern part of

Negros Occidental. The system will combine data both from the victim and perpetrator

that will be put into a consolidated database. It will use advanced data mining to gain

useful insights and enhance evidence-based decision-making.

 4

1.2 Objectives of the Study

The purpose of this study is to develop a Decision Support for Violence

Against Women and Children.

Specifically, this study aims to:

1. Incident Management

1.2 Victim Profiling

1.3 Perpetrator Profiling

1.4 Referral Management

1.5 Geo-mapping

1.6 Care Summary / Reports

1.7 Descriptive Analytics with Decision Support

2.Testing the functionality of the aforementioned features..

3.Test the usability of the system in terms of :

a. system usefulness;

b. information quality;

c. interface quality; and

d. overall usability.

4.Develop the user’s manual of the system.

 5

1.3 Scope and Limitation

The study focused on developing a Decision Support for Violence Against Women and

Children Information System to provide a comprehensive platform for collecting,

analyzing, and managing data related to VAWC incidents, as well as to support the

decision-making, resource allocation, and coordination among different stakeholders to

prevent and respond to VAWC cases effectively.

The Decision Support for Violence Against Women and Children Information System

will be the one to verify the number of cases in Municipalities of E.B Magalona,

Manapla, and Toboso. It can help DSWDs make informed decisions on how to prevent

and address VAWC incidents in their respective areas. By providing decision-makers

with insights and analysis, the system can help DSWDs allocate resources effectively,

develop targeted interventions, and ultimately, reduce the incidence of VAWC in their

communities.

Furthermore, the DSS should also take measures to protect the confidentiality and

privacy of VAWC victims and their personal information. This can be done by

implementing security measures, such as access controls and encryption, to ensure

that only authorized personnel can access and view the data.
 6

The system can be designed to collect and store data on VAWC cases, such as the

number of reported cases, the type of violence, the age and gender of the victim, and

the location of the incident. The data can be sourced from police records, health

clinics, social welfare offices, and other relevant agencies.

The goal of this study is to create a decision support system for violence against

women and children. While the system seeks to address many forms of violence such

as domestic violence, sexual assault, and child abuse, it may not cover all elements

completely. The system's effectiveness will also be determined by the availability and

quality of data from appropriate sources. Furthermore, the system's successful

implementation is dependent on stakeholders' willingness to collaborate and share

data.

1.4 Significance of the Study

The study contributes to developing a Decision Support for VAWC Information

System, particularly in managing and storing data. The system aims to provide the said

Municipalities with tools and data to make informed decisions regarding the prevention

and management of VAWC cases in their communities. This study will benefit the

following
 7

VAWC. Refers to any act of gender-based violence that results in or is likely to result in

physical, sexual, or psychological harm or suffering to women and their children.

DSWD. Responsible for providing support and assistance to victims of VAWC.

DSWD Officials and Staff. Responsible for the collection and management of data

related to VAWC cases within their jurisdiction.

Municipalities. Responsible for law enforcement and maintaining public safety.

Women and Children. Provide valuable input in the data collection process for the

VAWC DSS. They can share their experiences, provide feedback on the system's

usability and functionality, and suggest improvements.

Law Enforcement Agencies. Responsible for investigating crimes, gathering

evidence, arresting perpetrators, and bringing them to justice. In addition, they provide

support and assistance to victims, including referrals to counseling and advocacy

services.
 8

1.5 Definition of Terms

The researchers define the following terms to understand better the basic concepts

used in the study.

DSWD.This is one of the sources of researchers to gather needed data.

Information Quality.Assisting a system in enhancing the quality of its data results in

improved decision-making throughout an organization.

Interface Quality.Assist the users in appraising the system in case of any problems

and demonstrating its beneficial effects.

Overall Usability.Considering the manner and purpose for which individuals interact

with it, aids in directing user-centered design efforts towards achieving a system's

usability.

RA.Used in categorizing and identifying the different cases.

User's manual.A manual that assists users and offers guidance to facilitate their

utilization of our system with ease.

VAWC.Stands for "Violence Against Women and Children". It is the main focus of the

study in which the researchers will only target the cases under the VAWC.
 9

CHAPTER II

Review of Related Literature/Studies

This chapter presents a brief review of related literature, studies, and the

interrelated system as proponents' basis of making and developing the Web-Based

Dormitory Management System with Image Recognition.

2.1 Foreign Literature or Study

Responding to violence against women and children during covid-19: impact on

service provision, strategies, and actions in the WHO European studies

VAWC is an important public health, gender equality and human rights issue shaped

by a magnitude of interlinking factors such as economic stress, poverty, substance

abuse and a lack of institutional support and sanctions; it is further exacerbated by

social factors that support harmful or traditional gender norms and power imbalances.

Based on recent estimates by WHO, around 22% of ever-partnered women in the

WHO European Region have experienced sexual and/or physical violence by a partner

and approximately 5% of women over the age of 15 years have experienced

 10

least 1 billion children experienced violence in the previous 12 months. In the WHO

European

Region, 12% of children aged 2–17 years were reported to have experienced violence

in the previous 12 months, equivalent to 15.2 million children . There is increasing

evidence that VAWC shares a range of common risk factors such as unsafe

environments (e.g. community violence); family stress related to poor housing,

unemployment and/or poverty; social isolation; poor mental health; and substance

abuse . Both VAW and VAC are influenced by intersecting societal and gender norms

that condone violent punishment and that reinforce gender inequality. Furthermore,

similar negative health and psychological outcomes are experienced by those

subjected to violence, including injuries and serious mental, physical, sexual and

reproductive health consequences.With these WHO recommendations on preventing

and responding to VAWC during COVID-19 as a basis, the aim of this rapid

assessment was to investigate what measures were taken by governments, NGOs and

CSOs across Member States of the WHO European Region in the context of the

COVID-19 pandemic during the first nine months of 2020. This study builds on the

WHO Global plan of action to strengthen the role of the health system within a national

multisectoral response to address interpersonal violence, in particular against women

 11

and girls, and against children , the potential roles of the health system outlined in the

Action Plan and the 2019 WHO Regional Office for Europe’s baseline assessment on

health systems response to VAW . The rapid assessment aims to: • explore changes in

service demand related to VAWC during the COVID-19 pandemic across the 53

Member States; and • examine measures taken by Member States to prevent and

respond to VAWC during the COVID-19 pandemic. This rapid assessment reports on

two major findings: • changes in service demand related to VAWC during the pandemic

as identified through calls to helplines and NGO services and data collected by police

and health services; and • measures to prevent and respond to VAWC during the

pandemic by governments, such as increasing levels of response (e.g. through

provision of additional funding) or adapting services to meet the challenges presented

through the pandemic (e.g. a move to online/ telephone-based service delivery).

(World Health Organization,2021).

Crime in São Paulo’s metro system: sexual crimes against women

According to Ceccato et al. (2018) this article investigates personal safety conditions in

the São Paulo metro, the largest rapid transit system in Brazil. The study looks at all

types of crimes, but devotes special attention to the nature and spatio-temporal

dynamics of sexual crimes against women while in transit. The methodology combines

Geographical Information System and crime records with data collected using Google
 12

Street View and other secondary data into a set of regression models. Findings show

that sexual violence is concentrated at the busiest central stations; it often takes place

during the morning and afternoon rush hours, and at stations that also attract all sorts

of violence and events of public disorder. The study finalises with an analysis of the

metro’s current prevention practices targeting women’s sexual victimisation.

Assessing large-scale violence against children surveys in selected Southeast

Asian countries: A scoping review

According to Arifiani et al. (2019), in the last decade, there has been growing

international support for the development of rigorous scientific methods to assess the

prevalence, risk factors, and consequences of violence against children

(VAC).According to Article 19 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, violence

against children (VAC) encompasses a broad range of harmful behaviors, including

physical and mental violence, injury, abuse, neglect, maltreatment, exploitation, and

sexual abuse. These actions occur when a child is under the care of their parent(s),

legal guardian(s), or any other individual responsible for the child's well-being, as

specified by the United Nations General Assembly in 1989.Starting in 2006, the UN's
 13

World Report on Violence Against Children highlighted a significant lack of data on

violence against children (VAC) and called for a greater commitment to improving

national data collection and information systems. To enhance accountability for VAC,

the UN also urged the inclusion of the elimination of violence against women and

children in the Sustainable Development Goals in 2015. Since the 2006 report, there

has been a surge in the development of standardized surveys and initiatives for

measuring VAC, such as the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS), WorldSafe,

Health Behavior in School-aged Children, the Global School Based Health Survey,

and the CDC-VAC survey. However, in lower- and middle-income countries (LMICs),

data on VAC remains scarce and the quality of existing data is inconsistent. Many of

the standardized tools for measuring VAC, which were initially developed in

high-income countries, have been used in LMICs without sufficient field-testing,

resulting in varying levels of success in different cultural contexts. Furthermore,

although more LMICs are collecting data on VAC, the findings are often absent from

published literature, leaving many research initiatives unknown to child protection and

well-being practitioners. Systematic reviews of VAC in the East Asia and Pacific

region have revealed its widespread occurrence, yet several countries, including

Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, and others, still lack national prevalence estimates for

VAC. Additionally, prevalence estimates for VAC, covering physical, emotional, or

sexual violence and neglect, vary significantly in the region, with a meta-analysis

showing a range of 7 to 35% for boys and girls in LMICs. Insufficient evidence exists
 14

on child neglect, emotional abuse, the consequences of violence, and the

effectiveness of prevention programs in these settings. UNICEF's report on the region

underscores the urgent need for improving study designs and data collection methods

for VAC in East Asia.(United Nations Children’s Fund, 2014b).

Case of an evaluation of the state’s response to violence against women and

children in South Africa

Women and children in South Africa experience a very high level of different forms of

violence including intimate partner violence, neglect, rape, femicide, child homicide

and sexual assault. Research undertaken by South Africa’s Medical Research Council

reveals that 25% of women have experienced physical violence at some point in their

lives (Gender Links and The Medical Research Council. 2010). Violence against

children (VAC) shows the same trends, with studies finding that 1 in 3 children in

South Africa have experienced some form of violence (Ward etal., 2018).These

high levels of violence have persisted despite significant investment by government,

development partners, and civil society organizations (CSOs) in evidence

generation, enacting policy, setting up institutions, allocating resources and delivering

services aimed at reducing violence. This chapter uses the journey of the Diagnostic
 15

Review of South Africa’s response to violence against women and children (VAWC)

to understand facilitators and barriers to evidence use in public policy. The

Diagnostic Review was carried out between 2014 and 2016 by South Africa (Amisi et

al.,2020).

2.2 Local Literature or study

Development and Implementation of Violence against Women and their Children

Report System Mobile Application

For the past years, the cycle of violence against women and children has been an

unending battle among victims, gender and development advocates, human rights

groups, law enforcement and government agencies. Even with the passage of RA

9262 or the Anti-Violence against Women Act of 2004 and despite concerted campaign

attempts to promote public knowledge and awareness about violence against women

(VAW) including its basic concepts,impact on victims, and the pressure put on the

public about the consequences and legal hurdles associated with it, the rising cases of

violence has not put into stop. All barangays or villages in the Philippines are even

mandated to establish a VAW desk to ease access to justice and support services in

incidents of violence. Even the procedure is generally facilitated through referral to

 16

the Women and Child Protection Desk (WCPD) at police stations (United Nations

Women,2020), putting an end to VAW still remains a lengthy and twisted road.

The Philippine Commission on Women (PCW) indicates that more work has to be done

to reduce the number of documented and unreported VAW incidents in the country.

Based from the Philippine National Police (PNP) report, the number of VAW cases

around the country decreased to 18,685 in 2018, down from 25,805 cases in 2017 and

32,073 cases in 2016. That is down from 87 percent per day in 2016 and 70 percent

per day in 2017, to 51 per day in 2018. In 2018, the most common type of VAW case

reported to police was physical injury, followed by acts of lasciviousness and rape

(Bagaoisan, 2019).

Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, as reported by Philippine Statistics Authority

(PSA) in 2018, one (1) in three (3) women worldwide had experienced physical or

sexual violence, the majority of which was perpetrated by an intimate relationship. In

the Philippines,one (1) out of every four (4) Filipino women between the ages of 15

and 49 experience physical,emotional, or sexual assault from their husband or partner

(National Demographic Health, 2017).

 17

According to Balahadia and Mortel (2020), there are several applications related to

violence against women in many countries. Accordingly, these countries have

embraced emerging technology with common features such as information

dissemination,identifying victim location based on GPS, SOS emergency features and

immediate contact to selected relatives and friends. These are the common features of

existing applications like VAW Free PH, Women’s Hub, Ana Bella App, Circle of 6,

Harras Map, Watch Over Me and Nidarr.

However, these still have weaknesses that need to improve to make it more useful for

both victims and related government agencies in taking immediate actions to respond

to the violence.The study of Eisenhut et al. (2019) supported the World Health

Organization (WHO) in creating mobile application about violence against women that

can help to raise awareness and support removal of taboos, especially in the

generation of digital, empowerment through sharing and connecting (e.g. on social

media), facilitation of interactions between VAW survivors and

existing support institutions and provide an opportunity for comparably easy and quick

access to information (multilingual). Innovative mobile phone applications that provide

a lifeline for female victims of violence and abuse have been developed. However, not

all apps have a flawless feature that can satisfy all of the community's and government

agencies' requirements.Information dissemination, victim location based on GPS, SOS

emergency features, and immediate contact to selected relatives and friends are
 18

common features of existing applications as VAW Free PH, Women’s Hub, Ana Bella

App, Circle of 6, Harras Map, Watch Over Me, and Nidarr. However, there are still

problems that need to be addressed in order for victims and relevant government

institutions to be more effective in responding to violence (Mortel &Balahadia, 2020).

Thus, this study adopted the mentioned studies and improved the composition of the

developed application. The mobile application has a different integration of technology

like the Global Positioning System for tracking the location of the victim and the

e-Reporting System. It also has a local language expressed information and

questionnaire module.Additionally, the mobile application JUANAHELP provided a map

for the temporary shelter of the VAWC victim and a module for the list of job

opportunities. In developing the mobile application, the study used programming

languages and software application like PHP,JavaScript, MySQL, Bootstrap, Font

Awesome, jQuery, ChartJS, Google Maps API, Hostinger,Java, SQLite, Semaphore

SMS API, Adobe XD, and Adobe Photoshop.

The development and implementation of a Violence against Women and their Children

(VAWC) Report System Mobile Application for the Province of Laguna was thought to

solve concerns with better data collection and the challenges of unreported incidents.

With mobile applications, an increased opportunity for data access, promotion of new
 19

ideas, and connecting individuals around the world would open up (Association for

Progressive Communications,2013). This technology will facilitate quick and easy

reporting for the victims and witnesses’

quick response with just a click using their fingertip. As such, this study aims to

develop JUANAHELP: E-Reporting System of VAWC Mobile Application. Specifically, it

aims to construct a web and mobile application capable of reporting VAWC with

emergency, awareness, assessment, job opportunities and shelter modules, and

evaluate the performance of the system using the test casing particularly the

functionality, sharing, installation, portability, and performance.

Web and Mobile Application for Reporting Violence: A Framework for

Developing Violence Against Women Application

Violence might occur in any place, wherein the street or house which must not be

happening anymore. The Republic of the Philippines is known for its democratic

nation. But many of the women in the Philippines are experiencing a harsh

environment around them. The Philippines is making ways to eradicate violence

against women by implementing Republic Act No. 9262. The R.A.9262 is the law for

Anti-Violence Against Women and Their Children Act of 2004. According to the

four-year record of Philippine National Police (PNP) in 2013-2016, there are 49,2883

violence occurred. Under gender-related crimes, physical injury is the utmost collective
 20

form of violence. Moreover, there are many other forms of abuse and violence

experienced by women such as stalking, forced marriage, rape, physical injury, control

over basic resources, isolating women, and among others. In the past 16 years, the

total number of violent cases of women reported to PNP has increased by over 500

percent. The National Statistics Office found out that one (1) out of five (5) women

experienced physical violence, and 14.4 percent of married women are physically

abused or suffered domestic violence from husbands. Despite these sad realities, the

Philippine Government is committed to the challenge of attaining the SDGs to promote

gender equality. The Philippine government, act as a response to improving the SDG

on gender equality, issued a policy statement informing all government agencies to

conduct data monitoring for female violence. The government has constructed

programs and campaigns to reinforce their call of action for this phenomenon. This

study aims to create framework to develop mobile application for reporting violence

against women which is the iJuanaHelpMo, that will be applying different technologies

such as geo-mapping using Geolocation Information System, web and mobile

application, SMS and code generator which can reinforce violence insights among the

victims, as well as learning different violence prevention activities to increase wide

dissemination of VAWC awareness to all women and children. The system has

features that can be used as undetectable mobile software capable of reporting

 21

Violence against Women and Children, a customizable e-reporting mechanism for

pre-selected people to contact in times of emergency. Additionally, the system can also

be used as a VAWC related Information and questionnaire module, expressed in the

local language, and generate questionnaire assessment to tell if the individual is a

VAWC Victim based on the rules of VAWC legislation in the Philippines ( Balahadia et

al. ,2020).

Laguna Portal for Violence against Women and Children (VAWC) with

E-Reporting and Mapping System

Violence against Women and Children (VAWC) happens in all parts of the globe and is

seen as a major crisis in many societies. VAWC includes various psychological,

emotional, financial, cultural, sexual, and socioeconomic abuses towards the victims,

and even spiritual cruelties (United Nations, 1993) by family members or relatives.

Violence against women is believed to be caused by the uneven power relationship

between women and men that promotes the so-called “gender-based violence”

(Philippine Commission on Women, 2009). According to a UNICEF statistical report in

2014, of the 120 girls surveyed around the globe, one (1) out of 10 experienced forced

sexual contact and the most common perpetrators are current or former husbands,

partners, or boyfriends (UNICEF, 2014). The Philippine Commission on Women (PCW)

(PCW, 2009) describes the goal of Gender and Development (GAD) programs as the
 22

improvement of outlook and practice that is involved and empowering, reasonable,

sustainable, excludes violence, obeys human rights, and supports self-determination

and actualization of human abilities. The Philippine National Police (PNP) reported that

recorded cases of VAW have increased from 1,100 victims in 1996 to 16,517 in 2013

based on the Inter-Agency Council on Violence Against Women and Their Children

(IACVAWC, 2004). The situation in the province of Laguna is no different. According to

data from the Laguna Police Provincial Office, the 118 number of VAWC incidents

reported in recent years is the following: 539 in 2014; 581 in 2015; 446 in 2016; and

1,022 in 2017. In the CALABARZON region, Galacio (2006) stated that the barangay

officials and police officers seem to be not fully oriented with the provisions of Republic

Act 9262, or the Anti-Violence Against Women and their Children Act of 2004. The law

is clear that in order to end Violence against Women and their Children, the said

government agencies should be actively involved. Finding serious intervention for the

local government unit like the barangay is one of the significant contents of the RA

9262 said by the Women Working Together to Stop Violence Against Women

(WWTSVAW, 2009). Poor women do not report or seek help from government officials

or the police because of shame and lack of resources. The victims also have very

limited knowledge of the services offered by the government (WWTSVAW, 2009).

Based on a study conducted by the legal management department of San Beda

 23

College in 2014, 15.71 percent of the surveyed women were underreporting incidents

because of several issues such as embarrassment and blaming themselves for the

violence, fear of reprisal from the abusers, and inaccessibility to facilities where one

can report incidents of violence, among others. The study also noted that ineffective

implementation of the different government interventions and concern about what

others will say about the affected individuals being victims of abuse and violence are

the main factors why the interventions are not effective (Lobusta et al., 2014). Other

countries have adopted an approach to support VAWC victims. The SASA (Start,

Awareness, Support and Action) approach have been successfully implemented by the

community members based on Raising Voices organization (e.g. healthcare workers,

police) and local cultural and government leaders in the East African countries of

Uganda, Malawi, Kenya and Zimbabwe. SASA employs multiple strategies including

local activism and media and advocacy strategies, and uses contextually relevant

communication and training materials. This approach focuses on orienting the

community about the problem and understanding how communities are structured and

organized. It also focuses on building confidence through activities, support and

encouragement. The skills of and connections between community members are

strengthened in order to encourage people to support those who are changing or trying

to foster change in their community (Evers, 2017). The objective of this study was to

develop a system for VAWC victims to voice out their concerns through integration of

SASA, and evaluate User Satisfaction and Usability Attribute of the developed system.
 24

It can provide updated news, articles, and activities related to VAWC such as

(trainings, seminars, job opportunities, programs). Users can give their complaints,

communicate to other victims through a forum for them to empower and collaborate in

raising awareness to the victims’ rights. The collected complaints were undergoing

extraction to generate mapping for visualization and produce reports to be send to

involve related government agencies (Mortel et al.,2019).

Analysis and Evaluation of Violence against Women and

their Children Incident Report: Data Exploration

According to Balahadia et al., (2021), gender inequality still persists in the 21st century,

with females facing discrimination, abuse, and violence, with those who are poor

bearing the brunt. The prevalence of VAWC is so widespread that the international

community has declared it a public health and human right issue. Organizations have

been lobbying for the abolition of violence against women for decades, leading to the

holding of several global and regional conventions and agreements. The Philippine

government has established several agencies and programs to protect women and

their children against violence and threats to their safety and security. Republic Act

9262, the Anti-Violence against Women and their Children Act of 2004, is the biggest

step the government has taken towards ending VAWC. The government has partnered

with UN agencies and civil society organizations to end VAWC and help people who
 25

suffered from it get back on their feet. The Philippines has been ranked 8th among the

top 14 countries that have achieved the goal of closing the gender gap in Economic

Participation and Opportunity. However, VAWC is still rampant, with physical abuse

accounting for 38.54 percent of the 108,675 cases of domestic violence. The Philippine

National Demographic and Health Survey in 2018 revealed that family members are

the most typically inflicting physical violence on women. In ever-married women, their

current husband/partner (47.5%), former husband/partner (24.7%), and

mother/stepmother (15.6%) are the top 3 perpetrators, while for those who were never

married these are the mother/stepmother (26.1%), the father/stepfather (25.3%), and

the sister/brother (19.2%). These numbers corroborate the observation that intimate

partners and family members are responsible for the most common forms of violence

committed against women and children. VAWC cases are often unreported, leading to

victims living in silence and shame. Legarda (2016) notes that many victims choose

not to report abuse due to lack of awareness of their legal rights. To address the

incidence of gender-based violence, increasing public awareness of women's rights is

needed. Garcia (2020) found that government assistance is insufficient and responsive

to prevent abuses against women. This study seeks to collect data on the level of

awareness of women of domestic violence, their legal rights, why VAWC incidents are

unreported, and their preferences in reporting VAWC incidents. The data collected will

help identify solutions to address gender-based discrimination and violence.Majority of

the respondents believed that a mobile application and website could help them in
 26

terms of abuse. As a result, a System that will address the needs of the VAWC victims

in a more effective, faster, reliable and dependable manner will have to be developed

based on the findings of the study. It will feature a mobile application and web portal to

be utilized in reporting violence against women cases that will

make use of various technologies such as geomapping with a Geolocation Information

System, web and mobile application, SMS and code generator which may reinforce

violence insights among the public, as well as learning different violence prevention

activities to increase wide dissemination of VAWC awareness to all women and

children. Additionally, it will also include elements such as mobile software capable of

reporting Violence against Women and Children and a customizable e-reporting

mechanism for preselected people to call in an emergency.

2.3 Summary

VAWC is an important public health, gender equality and human rights issue shaped

by economic stress, poverty, substance abuse, lack of institutional support and

sanctions, and social factors that support harmful or traditional gender norms and

power imbalances. This rapid assessment investigates the measures taken by

governments, NGOs and CSOs across Member States of the WHO European Region

during the COVID-19 pandemic. Ceccato et al. (2018) investigates personal safety
 27

conditions in the So Paulo metro, Brazil, and Arifiani et al. (2019) call for increased

commitment to improve national data collection and information systems. VAC is

widespread in the East Asia and Pacific region, but there is still little data on it in

LMICs. South Africa's response to violence against women and children is inadequate.

The Diagnostic Review of South Africa's response to violence against women and

children (VAWC) was conducted between 2014 and 2016 to understand facilitators and

barriers to evidence use in public policy. In the Philippines, all barangays or villages

are mandated to establish a VAW desk to ease access to justice and support services.

Existing applications such as VAW Free PH, Women’s Hub, Ana Bella App, Circle of 6,

Harras Map, Watch Over Me and Nidarr have been developed to address the issue.

This study seeks to collect data on the level of awareness of women of domestic

violence, their legal rights, why VAWC incidents are unreported, and their preferences

in reporting VAWC cases. It will feature a mobile application and web portal to be

utilized in reporting violence against women cases, mobile software capable of

reporting Violence against Women and Children, and a customizable e-reporting

mechanism.
 28

2.4 Synthesis

Synthesis of Related Systems and Literature

Related Systems and Literature Features & Developed

Functionalities System

(A Decision

Support for

Violence Against

Women and

Children

Information

System)

Responding to violence against women ● explore changes

● Web online/
and children during covid-19: impact in service
telephone-bas
on service provision, strategies, and demand related
ed service
actions in the WHO European studies to VAWC during
delivery.
the COVID-19

pandemic across
 29

the 53 Member

States.

● examine

measures taken

by Member

States to prevent

and respond to

VAWC during the

COVID-19

pandemic.

● changes in

service demand

related to VAWC

during the

pandemic as

identified through

calls to helplines

and NGO

services and data

collected by
 30

police and health

services

● measures to

prevent and

respond to

VAWC during the

pandemic by

governments,

such as

increasing levels

of response (e.g.

through provision

of additional

funding) or

adapting services

to meet the

challenges

presented

through the
 31

pandemic (e.g. a

move to online/

telephone-based

service delivery).

Crime in São Paulo’s metro system: ● Geographical ● Geographical

sexual crimes against women Information Information

System System

● crime records

with data

collected using

Google Street

View and other

secondary data

into a set of

regression

models.

● examine and ● data collection

Assessing large-scale violence against
improve study and
children surveys in selected Southeast

Asian countries: A scoping review

 32

designs and data information

collection systems

● improve national

data collection

and information

systems

Web and Mobile Application for ● develop mobile

● Geo-mapping
Reporting Violence: A Framework for applications for
using
Developing Violence Against Women reporting
Geo-location
Application violence against
Information
women.
System
● undetectable
● web and
mobile software
mobile
capable of
application
reporting

Violence against ● SMS and

Women and code
Children generator
 33

Laguna Portal for Violence against ● E-Reporting

● develop a system
Women and Children (VAWC) with and Mapping
for VAWC victims
E-Reporting and Mapping System System.
to voice out their

concerns through ● generate

integration of mapping for

SASA. visualization

and produce
● evaluate User
reports to be
Satisfaction and
send to
Usability Attribute
involve related
of the developed
government
system.
agency

● generate

mapping.

● E-Reporting ● E- Report

System of VAWC System

Development and Implementation of
Mobile
Violence against Women and their ● Mobile
Application.
Application
 34

Children Report System Mobile ● web and mobile ● Generate

Application application mapping

capable of

reporting VAWC

with

emergency,aware

ness,

assessment, job

opportunities and

shelter modules,

● evaluate the

performance of

the system using

the test casing

particularly the

functionality,

sharing,

installation,
 35

portability, and

performance.

● provided a map

for the temporary

shelter of the

VAWC victim and

a module for the

list of job

opportunities.

● used

programming

languages and

software

application like

PHP,JavaScript,

MySQL,

Bootstrap, Font

Awesome,

jQuery, ChartJS,

Google Maps
 36

API,

Hostinger,Java,

SQLite,

Semaphore SMS

API, Adobe XD,

and Adobe

Photoshop.

Analysis and ● collect data on ● Geo mapping

Evaluation of Violence level of with a Geo

against Women and awareness of location

their Children Incident R women of the Information

eport: Data Exploration System

a) types ;

● web and
b) acts of
mobile
domestic
application
violence;and
 37

c) their legal ● SMS and

rights as women (RA code

9262); generator

● the reasons why

VAWC incidents

are unreported,

and

● the preferences

of women in

reporting VAWC

incidents.
 38

CHAPTER III

Design and Methodology

The chapter discusses the steps taken to design and develop a system

called the “A Decision Support for Violence Against Women and Children Information

System”. It also includes estimation and the approach used to select the appropriate

software development life cycle (SDLC) model. It will be based on the research

conducted and the requirements specified for the project. The chapter goes into detail

about the design methodology and the steps taken to create the system.

3.1 Systems Development Method

Systems Development Method refers to the framework used to structure, plan,

and control the process of developing an information system. The system development

method that the proponents would use is the V-Model.

 39

The V-model is a type of SDLC model where the process executes in a sequential

manner in V-shape. It is also known as the Verification and Validation model. It is a

model that provides a systematic and visual representation of the software

development process. It is based on the idea of a “V” shape, with the two legs of

the “V” representing the progression of the software development process from

requirements gathering and analysis to design, implementation, testing, and

maintenance.

The V-model was suited in this study. The researchers used this model because

of the project requirements. It can enhance the probability of building an error-free

and good quality product since the phases are completed one at a time. With its

clear structure, it improves communication between the customer and the

development team.

Design Phase:

Requirement Analysis

This phase contains detailed communication with the customer to understand their

requirements and expectations. This stage is known as Requirement Gathering

 40

System Design

This phase contains the system design and the complete hardware and

communication setup for developing the product.

Architectural Design

System design is broken down further into modules taking up different

functionalities. The data transfer and communication between the internal modules

and with the outside world (other systems) is clearly understood.

Module Design

In this phase the system breaks down into small modules. The detailed design of

modules is specified, also known as Low-Level Design (LLD).

Testing Phases:

Unit Testing

Unit Test Plans are developed during the module design phase. These Unit Test

Plans are executed to eliminate bugs at code or unit level.

 41

Integration testing

After completion of unit testing Integration testing is performed. In integration

testing, the modules are integrated and the system is tested. Integration testing is

performed on the Architecture design phase. This test verifies the communication

of modules among themselves.

System Testing

System testing tests the complete application with its functionality, inter

dependency, and communication.It tests the functional and nonfunctional

requirements of the developed application.

User Acceptance Testing (UAT)

UAT is performed in a user environment that resembles the production

environment. UAT verifies that the delivered system meets the user's requirement

and the system is ready for use in the real world.

 42

3.2 Operational Framework

 43

Figure 2. Operational Framework of A Decision Support for Violence Against

Women and Children Information System

The figure above shows the developed system's operational framework,

which shows the VAWC cases information stored into the server from the admin. The

admin will evaluate the data to determine trends and patterns in the occurrence of

violence, as well as the factors that contribute to it so it can provide decision-makers

with accurate and timely information on incidents of violence against women and

children, as well as evidence-based interventions that have been shown to be effective

in preventing and responding to such violence.

Architectural Framework
44
 45

3.3 Context Diagram (Level 0)

Figure 3. Context Diagram of a Decision Support for Violence Against Woman

and Children Information System

The figure above shows the context diagram of the developed system, which

shows the foremost data, and data saved into the system by the users and the output

to be received by each user

 46

3.4 Data Flow Diagram (Level 1)

 47

Figure 4. Level 1 Data Flow Diagram of a Decision Support for Violence Against

Women and Children Information System

The model above shows the detailed process on how the system works. The

administrator can manage patient information, including their records and details, which

are stored in a patient database. Additionally, the administrator can manage perpetrator

information, maintaining a separate database for perpetrator records. The administrator

can also oversee and input data related to incidents and generate incident reports.

These incident reports are stored in an incident report database. Furthermore, the

administrator has the capability to generate various reports, which are then stored in a

general database for reporting purposes.

 48

3.5 Entity Relationship Diagram

The Entity Relationship Diagram is a graphical representation that depicts

relationships among people, objects, places, concepts, or events within an information

technology system.
 49

Figure 5. Entity Relationship Diagram of a Decision Support for Violence Against

Women and Children Information System

The figure above shows the Entity Relationship Diagram of a Decision Support

for Violence Against Women and Children. The Entity Relationship Diagram is a

graphical representation that depicts relationships among people, objects, places,

concepts, or events within an information technology system.

3.6 Use Case Diagram

 50

Figure 6. Use Case Diagram of a Decision Support for Violence Against Woman

and Children Information System

The figure above shows the use case diagram of an admin. The use case diagram for

the administrator includes several key functionalities. The administrator, as the main

user, first interacts with the authentication system to securely access the platform. Once

authenticated, the administrator can manage abuse types, violence types, injury types,

external injuries, patients, perpetrators, incidents, and user accounts, allowing them to

maintain and update critical data within the system. Furthermore, they can view

analytics and utilize a Decision Support System (DSS) to gain insights and make

informed decisions.The administrator has the ability to generate reports, offering a

comprehensive overview of the system's data and activities.

3.7 Data Dictionary

The data dictionary provides descriptions and defines the data elements used in

the web-based dormitory management system with image recognition. It clarifies the

meaning and purpose of each data entry, including login credentials, payment forms,

payment records, room information, tenant information, and admin credentials. This

ensures consistency and understanding of the data used within the system.
 51

Table #. abuse_type

Field Name Optional Type Length Key Description

abuse_type_id N int 11 PK Unique

identifier of

table

name_of_abus Y text name of

e_type abuse

Table #. cause_of_injury

Field Name Optional Type Length Key Description

cause_of_injur N int 11 PK Unique

y_id identifier of

table

name_of_inury Y text name of

 52

_cause injury cause

Table #. facility_data

Field Name Optional Type Length Key Description

facility_data_id N int 11 PK Unique

identifier of

table

incident_id Y text FK Incident Id

transferred_from_a Y text Transferred

nother_facility From Another

Facility
 53

referred_by_anothe Y text Referred By

r_facility Another

Facility

name_of_originatin Y text Name Of

g_facilty_or_physici Originating

an Facilty Or

Physician

status_upon_reachi Y text Status Upon

ng_facility Reaching

Facility

mode_of_transport Y text Mode Of

_to_facility Transport To

Facility
 54

initial_impression Y text Initial

Impression

nature_of_injury Y text Nature Of

Injury

external_cause_of_ Y text External

injury Cause Of

Injury

treatment_given Y text Treatment

Given

disposition Y text Disposition

 55

referral_date Y date Referral Date

type_of_service Y text Type of

service

agency Y text Agency

name_of_service_p Y text Name Of

rovider Service

Provider
 56

Table #. incident

Field Name Optional Type Length Key Description

incident_id N int 11 PK Unique

identifier of

table

incident_number Y text Incident

number

handling_organiza Y text Handling

tion Organization

street Y text Street

region Y text Region

 57

province Y text Province

city Y text City

barangay Y text Barangay

zip_code Y text Zip Code

date_of_intake Y date Date of Intake

user_id Y text FK User Id

VAWC_Laws Y text VAWC Laws

description_of_ Y text Description of

incident Incident
 58

date_of_latest_ Y date Date Of

incident Latest

Incident

time_of_latest_ Y time Time Of

incident Latest

Incident

date_of_consul Y date Date Of

tation Consultation

time_of_consul Y time Time Of

tation Consultation

geographic_loc Y text Geographic

ation_name Location

Name

geographic_loc Y text Geographic

ation_street Location
 59

Street

geographic_loc Y text Geographic

ation_region Location

Region

geographic_loc Y text Geographic

ation_province Location

Province

geographic_loc Y text Geographic

ation_city Location City

geographic_loc Y text Geographic

ation_barangay Location

Barangay

geographic_loc Y text Geographic

ation_zip_code Location Zip

 60

Code

Table #. incident_abuse

Field Name Optional Type Length Key Description

incident_abuse N int 11 PK Unique

_id identifier of

table

incident_id Y int 11 FK Incident Id

abuse_type_id Y int 11 FK Abuse Type

Id

Table #. incident_cause_of_injury

Field Name Optional Type Length Key Description

 61

incident_injury N int 11 PK Unique

_id identifier of

table

incident_id Y int 11 FK Incident Id

cause_of_injur Y int 11 FK Cause Of

y_id Injury Id

description Y text Description

Table #. incident_injury

Field Name Optional Type Length Key Description

incident_injury N int 11 PK Unique

_id identifier of

table
 62

incident_id Y int 11 FK Incident Id

description Y text Description

Table #. incident_patient

Field Name Optional Type Length Key Description

incident_patien N int 11 PK Unique

t_id identifier of

table

incident_id Y int 11 FK Incident Id

patient_id Y int 11 FK Patient Id

remarks Y text Remarks

 63

Table #. incident_perpetrator

Field Name Optional Type Length Key Description

incident_perpe N int 11 PK Unique

trator_id identifier of

table

incident_id Y int 11 FK Incident Id

perpetrator_id Y int 11 FK Perpetrator Id

remarks Y text Remarks

 64

Table #. incident_violence

Field Name Optional Type Length Key Description

incident_violen N int 11 PK Unique

ce_id identifier of

table

incident_id Y int 11 FK Incident Id

violence_type_ Y int 11 FK Violence

id Type Id
 65

Table #. injury

Field Name Optional Type Length Key Description

injury_id N int 11 PK Unique

identifier of

table

name_of_injur Y text Name of

y Injury

Table #. patient

Field Name Optional Type Length Key Description

patient_id N int 11 PK Unique

identifier of

table
 66

last_name Y text Last Name

first_name Y text First Name

middle_name Y text Middle Name

sex Y text Sex

civil_status Y text Civil Status

 67

mother_maiden_na Y text Mother

me Maiden Name

perment_address_s Y text Perment

treet Address

Street

perment_address_r Y text Perment

egion Address

Region

perment_address_ Y text Perment

province Address

Province
 68

perment_address_ Y text Perment

province Address

Province

perment_address_c Y text Perment

ity Address City

perment_address_ Y date Perment

barangay Address

Barangay

perment_address_z Y text Perment

ip_code Address Zip

Code

agency Y text Agency

 69

perment_address_ Y text Perment

address Address

Address

temporary_adress_ Y text Temporary

street Adress Street

temporary_adress_ Y text Temporary

region Adress

Region

temporary_adress_ Y text Temporary

province Adress

Province

temporary_adress_ Y text Temporary

city Adress City

 70

temporary_adress_ Y text Temporary

barangay Adress

Barangay

temporary_adress_ Y text Temporary

zip_code Adress Zip

Code

landline_number Y text Landline

Number

mobile_number Y text Mobile

Number

email_address Y text Email

Address

birth_date Y date Birth Date

 71

if_date_of_birth_is_ Y text If Date Of

not_available Birth Is Not

Available

place_of_birth Y text Place Of Birth

region Y text Region

nationality Y text Nationality

race Y text Race

ethnicity Y text Ethnicity

highest_educational Y text Highest

_attainment Educational

Attainment
 72

occupattion Y text Occupation

company Y text Company

philhealth_number Y text Philhealth

Number

Y text Common

common_reference_ Reference

number Number

contact_person_last Y text Contact Person

_name Last Name

contact_person_first Y text Contact Person

_name First Name

 73

contact_person_mid Y text Contact Person

dle_name Middle Name

contact_person_lan Y text Contact Person

dline_number Landline

Number

contact_person_mo Y text Contact Person

bile_number Mobile Number

contact_person_em Y text Contact Person

ail_address Email Address

contact_person_add Y text Contact Person

ress Address

Table #. perpetrator
 74

Field Name Optional Type Length Key Description

perpetrator_id N int 11 PK Unique

identifier of

table

last_name Y text Last Name

first_name Y text First Name

middle_name Y text Middle Name

street_name Y text Street Name

 75

region Y text Region

province Y text Province

city Y text City

barangay Y text Barangay

zip_code Y text Zip Code

 76

sex Y text Sex

nationality Y text Nationality

religion Y text Religion

civil_status Y text Civil Status

occupation Y text Occupation

identifying_marks Y text Identify

Remarks

relationship_to_the_ Y text Relationship

victim To The Victim

 77

Table #. user

Field Name Optional Type Length Key Description

user_id N int 11 PK Unique

identifier of

table

name Y text Name

designation Y text Designation

username Y text Username

password Y text Password

access_level Y text Access Level

Table #. violence_type
 78

Field Name Optional Type Length Key Description

violence_type_ N int 11 PK Unique

id identifier of

table

name_of_viole Y text name of

nce violence

3.8 Hardware and Software Requirements

Hardware and Software Requirements provide detailed minimum requirements needed

to support the developed system's functions and executions.

Software Requirements

● XAMPP v3.3.3

● Google Chrome

● Windows 10

Recommended Minimum Hardware Requirements

 79

● Intel Core i3

● 4 GB RAM

● Resolution 1366 x 768

● Storage 100MB (not including database record

3.9 Time Table (Gantt Char)

Table 5. Gantt Chart of A Decision Support For Violence Against Women and

Children Information System

The table above shows the beginning and ending dates of tasks in A Decision

Support For Violence Against Women and Children Information System.

 80

The chart identifies job interdependence and assists in ensuring that the project is

finished on time and on budget.

The first stage, Planning, entails tasks including conducting interviews, obtaining data,

and creating diagrams. These jobs can be depicted on the Gantt chart as independent

bars, each with a start and finish date.

User Design is the second stage, which includes duties like system prototyping,

developing user interfaces, and creating wireframes. On the Gantt chart, these tasks

can be depicted as a separate bar that overlaps with the planning stage.

Development is the third step, which includes responsibilities such as coding, testing,

and consulting with research advisers and instructors. These tasks can be shown as

distinct bars that overlap with the stage of user design.

Project Launching is the final stage, which includes duties like deployment planning,

system configuration, and user training. On the Gantt chart, these tasks might be

depicted as a separate bar that overlaps with the development stage.

3.10 System Usability and Reliability Testing

To evaluate the usability of the system, the proponents will use the Post-Study

System Usability Questionnaire (PSSUQ). This is a well-established tool for assessing

the usability of a system, and it consists of a series of questions that ask users to rate

various aspects of the system, such as its ease of use, efficiency, and learnability.These
 81

will help ensure that the Decision Support for Violence Against Women and Children

Information System is both usable and reliable. And using the PSSUQ to evaluate

usability is a standard and effective approach.

 85

References

Ceccato, V., & Paz, Y. (2018). Crime in São Paulo’s metro system: Sexual crimes

against women. Crime Prevention and Community Safety, 19, 211-226.

Arifiani, S. D., Handayani, S. A., Baumont, M., Bennouna, C., & Kusumaningrum, S.

(2019). Assessing large-scale violence against children surveys in selected Southeast

Asian countries: A scoping review. Child Abuse & Neglect, 93, 149-161.

Balahadia, F. F., & Astoveza, Z. J. M. (2021). Analysis and Evaluation of Violence

against Women and their Children Incident Report: Data Exploration. Asian Journal of

Multidisciplinary Studies, 4(1), 1-13.

Amisi, M. M., Buthelezi, T., & Magangoe, S. (2020). Use of evidence in a complex

social programme: case of an evaluation of the state’s response to violence against

women and children in South Africa. In Using Evidence in Policy and Practice (pp.

92-114). Routledge.

Ahmad, S. (2023). Gender-Based Violence in Punjab: An Analysis of Punjab Protection

of Women against Violence Act, 2016. Pakistan Journal of Gender Studies, 23(01),

105-124.
 83

MLAY, B. W. (2020). Implementation of National Plan of Action to end Violence against

Women and Children: A Case of Tanzania Police Force (Doctoral dissertation,

Mzumbe University).

World Health Organization. (2021). Informal Consultation to Develop Practical

Recommendations for Addressing Violence against Women and Children, Virtual

meeting, 15-16 March 2021: meeting report.