introduced that recognise children’s right to leisure and play, and provisions have to be made where some of the very limited number of sports venues available have to be shared between adults and children in a manner that is fair. All sports arenas and facilities should not be completely given over to adults. Furthermore, the newly appointed local councils on islands should, as a matter of policy, consult with children in their neighbourhoods when introducing new sports facilities. All consultations with children should be done, again as a matter of policy, at the planning stages of such initiatives so that children can participate fully and make their views known and counted. Children in alternative care More resources need to be put into fill the large gaps between policy and reality of the experiences of children in alternative care as a matter of high priority. Among the institutions meant for children in conflict with the law, there are none that are designated for girls. An acute form of gender discrimination at the State level that must be addressed with expedience. The institutions that host children are currently acutely underfunded—there is such a lack of professional staff and funding that it is impossible for participation mechanisms to be regarded as a important in the greater scheme of things. Pending legislation that would aid the process needs to be attended to by legislators as a priority, and the State has to accord much more importance than it currently does to such institutions when deciding on the annual budget. The legality of Feydhoo Finolhu needs to be looked at as a matter of urgency. Media There is currently no legislation that requires children’s participation in the media. New legislation and regulations that have been enacted to guide the newly acquired freedom of expression in the country have largely forgotten about children. There are no requirements that a particular percentage of broadcasters’ locally produced content be dedicated to children’s programming, nor is their any funding allocated to children’s programmes. Consultations with children have so far been non-existent in the formulation of these new regulations despite exhaustive consultations with other stakeholders at all stages of their drafting. Policymakers and legislators need to recognise that imposing a requirement from all licensees that they dedicate part of their programming towards children’s content is not an interference with editorial policy or a negation of their freedom of expression. Attempts at persuading commercially minded media broadcasters to provide children’s content without state enforced legal requirements have mostly failed without relevant regulation, as has been seen in established democracies such as the United States and the United Kingdom, for example. It is now common practice for all democratic states to demand, through regulations, that broadcasters devote a percentage of their programming to dedicated children’s content. Public Life/Civil Society Children should be encouraged not discouraged, as is currently the practice, to learn about the concept of democracy and to become active citizens of it. An independent student organisation should be established so that children who wish to engage in the civil society more than they are able to now can do so. More flexible arrangements have to be made by the education system and by parents towards children’s participation in civil society activities outside of school. Increasing policymakers’ and parents awareness of not just children’s participation, but also of democracy, will contribute towards tackling the current situation where adults’ misunderstandings and prejudices are impeding children’s rights, interests, and opportunities to become more active citizens. 71