Right to participation can be described as the right of a child to express themselves in all matters concerning and affecting them. In other words, they are involved in the decision-making process of such matters. In each village, where Vaagdhara intervenes, there is ‘Bal Panchayat’ that function like a Gram Panchayat and takes decisions related to child health, education, and nourishment among others things.
Under articles 12 and 13, the right to an opinion is guaranteed to all children. They have the right to voice their opinions even though their opinion might not be as logical or factual as that of elders. Still, parents or guardians, must consider a child’s opinion and make them part of the decision-making process.
Bal Panchayat
Bal Panchayat is also called the children's parliament. The concept of ‘Bal Panchayat’ originated with the ideology to make the children's voices be heard strongly and boldly. This is a medium through which children’s voices reach adults, office bearers, and others in power. The main reason behind creating a ‘Bal Panchayat’ is to let the children speak out about their own issues and participate in reaching a suitable solution. In the Tribal Tri-Junction of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Gujarat state there are 305 ‘Bal Panchayats’ which are actively engaged in different developmental work related to children and the village, as a whole.