Often when participatory strategies are put in place, they are not meaningful. Participation is all too often pro-forma or reduced to mere consultation, which does not actually enable minorities to have any real impact on decisions. Frequently, participation processes are incorporated without giving serious consideration to the causes that restrict the participation of minority groups. This may produce the opposite results to those desired, as it may perpetuate rather than eliminate abuses of power. When participation processes do not take into account the existing power structures of a given society, they run the risk of being hijacked by local elites and excluding not only minorities but others such as women or marginalized groups. It is of course not easy to identify these groups as they are generally politically invisible or silent. They are often difficult to access because of their distant location, language, or their suspicion of authority. Such groups are inherently less well-equipped to defend their rights and interests, thus multiplying the effects of discrimination. A genuinely inclusive process should therefore pay particular attention to the identification and involvement of disadvantaged groups. It is crucial that Governments and practitioners take pro-active steps to enable these groups to participate. For example, authorities must take positive steps to assist them to overcome economic, linguistic, cultural, educational or geographical obstacles that would prevent or inhibit their full participation. Finally, participants must know why they are asked to participate and how their opinions will be used, and should clearly understand their influence (if any) on the final outcome. Participation should not be restricted to merely gathering or exchanging information, in order to assess opinion, identify interests and possibly take advantage of local expertise. Meaningful participatory processes should allow participants to have an influence and control the outcomes or decisions in question. Meaningful participation requires policy-makers to take active concrete measures to enable participation and influence on the decision.