As discussed previously, the association of democracy with dirty partisan political confrontations has, for example, meant that parents, teachers and policymakers alike have taken steps towards preventing children from becoming involved in the country’s political and social activities. Schools ban children from engaging in activities organised by the civil society and some even stake disciplinary action against students who do participate in such activities without prior permission from the school. The equation between party-political manoeuvrings and democracy has reached such a high level that both students and teachers are banned from discussing not just politics but the concept of democracy itself in schools during and after lessons. An example is the refusal of the Ministry of Education to allow the Media Council to set up media clubs in schools if they were to be named ‘Media and Democracy Clubs’. The inclusion of the word Democracy in the title, it was felt, would stop parents from allowing children’s participation in the clubs as if—as the Media Council put it—democracy is a dirty word that cannot be spoken in front of children. Children themselves are unhappy with the situation. They want more, not less, involvement in democratic decision-making processes. Presentations by members of the focus group from secondary schools showed they are far more knowledgeable about the concept of democracy, and are excited about the transition to this new form of governance. They could not [initially] remember the national helpline for children in situations of violence but were able to easily name and quote sections of the Constitution that deal with freedom of expression and association. They expressed regret that there is no independent student’s association in the Maldives so they can participate in democratic decision-making more fully, and were frustrated by the restrictions placed on them by schools and parents on freely associating with civil society organisations and movements. As articulated by one student: When we look at civil society and public life, we note that there are no organisations that especially targets young people – as far as we know. However, internationally, this is not the case. We think that such organisations should exist in the Maldives too; it will be of benefit to children. In terms of local councils, we feel that their role should include providing us with information as well as providing us with activities. We regret that the way has not so far been paved for children to initiate and organise such activities for themselves. In other words, prevailing misconceptions, preconceptions and prejudices that inform adult attitudes towards democracy, combined with similar views about children’s rights, are preventing children from becoming active participants in the decision-making processes of the country. 67