13-year old seafaring Dutch girl wants to travel solo

According to Time Magazine, a 13-year old Dutch girl with seafaring experience wants to travel around the world solo, but the Dutch Court has taken her into so-called "protective custody" because her parents signed off on the venture. The article discusses in detail the issue of whether a 13-year old is equipped for such an undertaking and whether she might miss out on important "social experiences" during this time period. The article doesn't mention the issue of whether a Dutch court or any court has a right to take her away from her parents into so-called "protective custody." This is one of those instances in which supposedly internationally binding "rights of the child" are being invoked to determine that the state has a right to take children from their parents.

• Posted at Sunday, August 30, 2009 09:02 AM
• In Education & Children Category | Permalink