Children also highlighted the need for teachers and other adults to be more aware of the fact that being heard and being allowed to participate in decisions that affect their lives are parts of a child’s fundamental rights. If adults and children alike had more knowledge of children’s rights, it was felt, the situation would improve. Some children felt that some schools were already offering opportunities for participation through school councils that ‘welcome their [children’s] creative ideas on organising different activities and how the policies should be carried out’. They also highlighted as positive developments the opportunity to vote provided by the councils, and described it as a means to ‘practise and taste the real feel of a real democratic environment as Maldives is practising it’. Children also offered practical solutions to the issue of ‘stressed out’ teachers, highlighting once again the degree to which children are being affected by such persons. The school management can take action about the classes which stress the teachers out and then only can the teachers be free of stress. Motivations Findings from focus group discussions with children The rest of the focus group involved discussion of the outcomes of the exercises involving the Kaleidoscope. The discussions were held among members of the three separate groups into which the children were divided at the start of the day. Facilitators from the Human Rights Commission guided the discussions along by putting pre-set questions (See Appendix II) that explored issues related to children’s participation in the areas of focus: family, education, out of school activities, children in situations of violence, public life and civil society, and the media. Questions relating to the area of judicial and administrative proceedings—one of the focus areas included in the rest of the study—were excluded from the focus group discussions. And, questions relating to children in situations of violence were kept to the bare minimum, seeking answers only to questions of whether children had been informed of/were aware of where and from whom they could seek help if they found themselves in such a situation. Family All children who attended were happy with opportunities for participation afforded to them within their family environments. Most children were also satisfied that their parents discussed with them their wishes and feelings when large decisions affecting their lives were being taken—such as choice of schools when changing from primary to secondary levels or choosing which academic stream to enrol in when they begin secondary school. Some children were of the view that the consultation process was ‘50/50 – sometimes they ask, sometimes they do not. Sometimes, even if they ask, they do not seem to really listen.’ Healthcare sector 33