Children in alternative care If parents and teachers are little aware of children’s right to participation as enshrined in the UNCRC, they appear even less aware—or less willing to accommodate—the rights of children who are from a dysfunctional background, are in conflict with the law, or have been institutionalised. One parent, for example, complained about children at the Kudakudhinge Hiyaa [Children’s Shelter] in Villingili attending the island’s school. They were, she said, a disruptive influence on the ‘normal’ children at school. The children who are being brought to Hiyaa are, without a doubt, children who are coming from a situation that is not normal, they are from a very different situation. Their thinking and everything is very different from normal children. Now, very often---this has been going on for five years—[…] these children attend the same school as normal children. […] Their presence causes a lot of difficulties for teachers. The parent recounted that she, along with other parents, had complained to both the Education Ministry and the Ministry of Health and Family, doggedly pursuing their complaints against a particularly disruptive child from the Hiyaa being allowed to attend ‘normal’ school. The child had smashed windows at the school office and had been violent towards the teacher. There are counsellors for these children, there are carers. But where is the care? […] My point is that when such a child joins normal schools, they should be at a level where they can do so without disrupting other children. Another member of the discussion group raised similar concerns about disruptive children attending the school in HulhuMale’. Children who are expelled from Majeediya School and Aminiya School (two main secondary schools based in Male’) are being enrolled at the HulhuMale’ School. Now, when this happens, what happens to the rights of the children in our school? We don’t want this student to come to school and run around around after our children with a knife. We try very hard to keep such children out of our school but Education [Ministry] forces us to have them because the child’s education cannot be stopped. That child’s right to an education appears to be a higher right than that of all other children. If we look at the other side, we have to ask: where are the rights of all the other children? Media/Public life Parents and teachers, like the children themselves are dissatisfied with the media content available for children. There is nothing on television for children. This is because people in responsible positions in the media are not carrying out their responsibilities properly. In every media, whether TV or radio, they are bound to carry a certain percentage of educational programmes. They are not doing their jobs. 48