When we invite girls to share their experiences with FatimaTV, we are asking for more than just stories...
… we’re asking for personal truths. In the real world, that can touch on sensitive topics like health, relationships, and personal safety. We want to make sure that every girl who chooses to engage with us fully understands what that means, how her input will be used, and what the boundaries are.
In many countries, including much of Africa, there’s no single legal definition of the age at which a young person can consent to take part in projects like this without parental permission. That’s why we’ve turned to a method inspired by the Gillick competence principle; a well-established standard developed in the UK to assess whether someone under the age of 18 has the maturity and understanding to make their own informed decisions
What is Gillick Competence?
Gillick competence is a concept that came from a UK legal case in the 1980s, which established that a young person under 16 could consent to medical treatment if they had enough understanding and intelligence to fully comprehend what was involved.
In practice, it means:
• They understand what they are agreeing to.
• They can weigh the risks and benefits.
• They realise what the consequences might be.
• They are able to make that choice independently.
It’s not about a number on a birth certificate. It’s about the person’s capacity to decide for themselves in a thoughtful, informed way.
How We’ve Adapted It
For FatimaTV, we’ve taken that principle and built it into a friendly, digital-first process that works in our context. Before a girl can share her story, she goes through a quick, interactive quiz, our own Gillick-style maturity check.
It’s not a test in the school sense. It’s more like a short set of real-life scenarios, such as:
• “If you share a story online, who might see it?”
• “Why might someone want to keep a story private?”
• “What could happen if someone shared your private details without permission?”
The goal is to see if she understands the idea of privacy, the importance of consent, and that sharing is always her choice. If her answers show she understands, she can move on to the submission form. If not, we give her gentle guidance and direct her to safer ways to interact with us.
Why This Matters in the African Context
In much of Africa, young girls face unique challenges:
• Conversations about topics like sexual and reproductive health are often considered taboo.
• Access to formal education varies widely.
• Many girls navigate adult responsibilities earlier than their peers elsewhere.
That means some girls are more than capable of making thoughtful decisions about their own participation; but others may need more support. The Gillick-inspired method helps us identify who is ready and willing to share, while ensuring no one is pressured or exposed to harm.
It also removes one of the biggest barriers: in sensitive cases, requiring parental permission could actually silence the very voices we most need to hear; for example, in situations of abuse, unsafe home environments, or strict cultural norms.
Our Safeguards
• No personal data collected — We anonymise stories at the source.
• Clear, simple explanations — Every girl knows exactly how her input will be used.
• Safe exit at any point — She can quit the process without consequence.
• Human oversight — All AI processing is reviewed by real people for accuracy, tone, and safety.