3-year-old child dead after being found unresponsive in Edmond pond – KOCO

Incident Report: Child Fatality in Edmond, Oklahoma

Summary of Incident

A report has been compiled regarding the death of a three-year-old male child on Saturday afternoon in Edmond, Oklahoma. The incident highlights critical issues related to community safety and public health, directly aligning with several United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

• Victim: 3-year-old male
• Location: A pond at an apartment complex near West 15th Street and Fretz Avenue, Edmond, Oklahoma.
• Date and Time: Saturday, post 2:00 PM.
• Circumstances: The child was discovered unresponsive in the pond by a teenager. Emergency services were alerted via a 911 call.
• Outcome: Despite on-site treatment by emergency crews and subsequent transport to a local hospital, the child was pronounced deceased.
• Status: An official investigation into the circumstances of the death is ongoing.

Analysis in the Context of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

This event underscores significant gaps in the implementation of key SDGs at the community level, particularly those concerning child safety, urban planning, and public health infrastructure.

SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being

The death of a child from drowning is a preventable tragedy that directly contravenes the objectives of SDG 3, which aims to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages. This incident is a failure to meet Target 3.2: to end preventable deaths of children under 5 years of age.

• Preventable Child Mortality: Drowning is a leading cause of unintentional injury death among young children. This case highlights the urgent need for preventative measures in residential environments.
• Access to Safe Environments: A core component of well-being is a safe physical environment. The presence of an unsecured or inadequately protected body of water in a residential area represents a direct threat to the health and safety of its most vulnerable residents.

SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

The incident’s location within an apartment complex places it squarely within the purview of SDG 11, which focuses on making cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable. Specifically, it relates to Target 11.7, which calls for universal access to safe, inclusive, and accessible green and public spaces.

The existence of a hazardous, unfenced pond in a community space fails to meet this standard. Achieving SDG 11 requires proactive measures in urban and residential planning, including:

1. Safety-by-Design Principles: Implementing mandatory safety standards for all residential developments that include water features. This includes fencing, barriers, and clear warning signage.
2. Community Infrastructure Audits: Regular safety audits of common areas in apartment complexes and neighborhoods to identify and mitigate potential hazards.
3. Public Awareness Campaigns: Educating residents, especially parents and guardians, about water safety and the supervision of young children in areas with water hazards.

SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

The response to the incident involves law enforcement and emergency services, highlighting the role of effective and accountable institutions as outlined in SDG 16. The ongoing police investigation is a critical function of these institutions, aimed at establishing facts and ensuring accountability.

• Responsive Institutions: The response by emergency crews and the subsequent investigation by the Edmond Police Department demonstrate the function of public institutions in addressing crises.
• Policy and Regulation: The outcome of the investigation may inform future local policies and regulations regarding residential safety standards, strengthening the institutional framework to prevent similar future tragedies.

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Analysis

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

• SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being: The article’s core subject is the death of a young child. This directly connects to SDG 3, which aims to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all ages, including the prevention of premature mortality.
• SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities: The incident occurred in a pond at an apartment complex, which is a communal space within a human settlement. SDG 11 is relevant because it seeks to make cities and settlements inclusive and safe. The tragic event highlights a failure to ensure a safe environment for residents, particularly children.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

• Target 3.2: By 2030, end preventable deaths of newborns and children under 5 years of age. The article reports, “A 3-year-old boy died,” which falls directly into the under-5 age category. Drowning is considered a preventable cause of death, making this incident a direct reflection of the challenge this target aims to address.
• Target 11.7: By 2030, provide universal access to safe, inclusive and accessible, green and public spaces, in particular for women and children. The death occurred in a pond at an apartment complex, a shared space that proved to be unsafe for a child. This directly relates to the target’s emphasis on creating safe environments for vulnerable populations like children.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

• Indicator for Target 3.2: The article provides a specific instance that contributes to Indicator 3.2.1: Under-5 mortality rate. The report of a “3-year-old child dead” is a data point that would be aggregated to calculate this official indicator, which measures deaths of children under five.
• Implied Indicator for Target 11.7: While the article does not cite an official indicator, the event itself implies a measure of safety. The child’s death in a pond at an apartment complex serves as a direct data point for an implied indicator such as the “Number of accidental deaths or severe injuries in communal or public spaces, disaggregated by age.” This measures the failure to provide the “safe… spaces” called for in the target.

SDGs, Targets, and Indicators Summary

Source: koco.com