Even if we have a bad case of constipation, we have to leave the country and seek help abroad. Even children are far happier when we go abroad. For example, even if we go to a local doctor, they are very rude. Despite the sentiments to the contrary expressed by some children, many parents were emphatic that healthcare professionals do not provide children with information regarding their medical conditions in a language they would understand. Even if a patient asks a question, it is only very rarely, a very small number of doctors, would consider answering it. They will examine the patient, and then will keep writing and writing without speaking. After all the writing, if a patient asks them something, they will reply: Stay quiet, I am writing now. What is meant by this is – do not disturb me, don’t ask me anything. Rather than ask doctors, one parent said, children now turn to self-diagnosis on the Internet. None of the parents expressed any concern that this itself is an activity fraught with many potential dangers. Participants in the discussion also highlighted an increasing trend among an increasing number of parents nationwide who are refusing to vaccinate their children. They raised concerns that authorities are not paying proper attention to the situation, and are not taking necessary steps to prevent this. Children in situations of violence None of the parents/teachers who attended the discussion were aware of the national Child Helpline number, and had not informed their children of it. Many parents, however, noted that they provide children with phone numbers—their own and that of other family members—they should call in case of emergency. We have to trust ourselves. We can’t trust other people. I am the one who needs to look after my child, not someone else. Some parents appeared somewhat floored when the facilitator highlighted that, more often than not, violence against children is committed by someone with whom children have a personal relationship, or are known to children. This lack of awareness among parents and adults about types of violence committed against children, typical profiles of perpetrators, and how to help children in such situations hinders children’s accessibility to information—a right enshrined in the UNCRC, and one that complements and facilitates their right to participate. Parents were also sceptical about any beneficial outcomes of reporting such matters to the police. There was agreement among several members of the group that making a complaint about a child being abused would only create problems for the adult who reported it than solutions for the child victim. 47