express an interest in a particular sport, but parents could not grant their wishes because the State has failed to provide facilities. They highlighted the fact that there is only one indoor sports venue in Male’ and noted, as did the children, that all the courts in the venue were almost always reserved and occupied by adults. ‘Even if we are willing to pay [the facilities are currently free], we cannot get the space for our children. So they have to go without.’ Other participants said it also happens sometimes that parents’ own attitudes or feelings towards a particular sport become a hindrance towards children’s participation. This is particularly the case with swimming since a recent tragedy (in September 2011) in which four children and a principal drowned while on a school trip40. A vast number of parents appear to have developed a fear of allowing their children to participate in swimming lessons arranged by schools since. Teachers highlighted that despite the extra safety measures introduced in the aftermath of the tragedy, parents are refusing to let their children take swimming lessons despite many children wanting to do so. This particular situation is a stark example of parents’ wishes or feelings overriding not just the best interest of the child but also what interests the child. Several participants in the meeting also appeared to have difficulty in grasping the concept—as expressed in the UNCRC—that children’s views can be listened to and taken seriously even if they are not always acted upon. Asked about their opinion on this concept one parent, for instance, replied: ‘Is that it? Consultation is enough? Even if nothing comes of it?’ Parents also confirmed what the children said about them never being consulted by local authorities about play areas for children. Interestingly, parents were of the belief that what was worse than the children not being consulted about children’s play areas was that they themselves had not been consulted: ‘Leaving aside children’s participation, where is ours?’ This again echoes the same sentiments as the remarks above – that seeking and taking seriously children’s views in the manner intended by the UNCRC is not a concept widely understood among Maldivian adults of today. Healthcare sector Healthcare emerged as the focus area that, in the parents’ opinion, provided the least opportunities for children’s participation. Many parents expressed the same opinion as several of the children in the focus groups that it was better to seek treatment abroad than it is to get seen to locally. While it maybe the case that parents and teachers have all had the same negative experiences with Maldivian doctors, it should also be borne in mind that children maybe echoing the opinions of their parents in this regard. This is especially likely considering the strength of the negative feelings about the health sector among some parents. 40 JJ Robinson and Ahmed Nazeer, “Four children and principal drown in school excursion”, Minivan News, September 10, 2011, accessed on November 22, 2011, http://minivannews.com/society/four-students-and-principal-drown-onschool-excursion-25331 46