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Court Terminates Supervision of Child?s Welfare and Leaves it to Child?s Parents to Decide Whether Teenager Can Sail, Alone, Around the World, for Two Years

By Janet Langjahr

Mother and Father are separated, with a thirteen year old Daughter in common.

Duaghter is an accomplished sailor.

Daughter wants to sail around the world … alone.

Father supports her in this.

Mother disapproves of this.

Dutch child welfare agency (Agency) takes Daughter into protective custody, and the court awards the Agency guardianship of her.

Mother later comes around and embraces Daughter’s dream.

After a year or so, the court releases Daughter from protective custody and terminates the guardianship of the Agency over the Agency’s objections.

The court holds that it is up to Daughter’s parents to decide whether she is allowed to sail around the world.

The Agency is considering whether to appeal the court’s termination of its guardianship.

Guardianship dissolved, now fourteen year old Daughter embarks on her planned two year solo voyage around the world.

Read more in this Los Angeles Times piece: Dutch teen Laura Dekker sets sail on solo circumnavigation attempt and this Christian Science Monitor article: Laura Dekker has Dutch court permission to sail around the world

Full post as published by Florida Divorce - Child Custody - Domestic Abuse Law on September 01, 2010 (boomark / email).