Dutch teen sailor Laura Dekker, who is closing in on the record of being the youngest person to circumnavigate the world single-handed, has lashed out at Dutch welfare authorities in a statement on her website. She says her treatment by the Dutch council for child welfare felt like a “nightmare” following her constantly.

The court cases, orders placing her in temporary guardianship and “intimidating” meetings were “a frightening and traumatic experience. I often relive these memories. They last for hours on end and I can’t get them out of my head. That hurts. I’m afraid the nightmares will follow me for the rest of my life.”

Laura wrote her impressions while at sea as she approaches the Dutch island of Sint Maarten where she is expected to arrive on Saturday. She will be welcomed by Prime Minister Sarah Wescot-Williams. It’s expected that thousands of fans, including her parents and sister, will show up for the event. Her sister received special permission from the Dutch school attendance authorities to travel to Sint Maarten.

Battle with authorities
In 2009, when Laura first announced her plans to circumnavigate the globe, Dutch authorities intervened and insisted she should first finish school. The child welfare authorities brought the case to court and a judge ruled that the 13-year-old was too young to travel alone. Laura then ran away and took a plane to Sint Maarten, where she was arrested and sent back to the Netherlands.

In July 2010, a judge gave her permission to carry out her plans - provided she agreed to a number of conditions, including continuing her secondary education through an online teaching programme set up for Dutch-speaking children abroad.

Last week, Laura Dekker took down the Dutch flag from her sailing boat and replaced it with a New
Zealand one, in response to renewed efforts by school attendance authorities to force her to continue with her education. Authorities claimed 16-year-old Laura had been doing too little school work.

“At sea, I’m at ease”
Laura wrote in her statement that she chose Sint Maarten as her final destination because of the bad experiences with authorities. “At sea, I feel at ease and at peace, especially during the long crossings over the Indian and Atlantic Oceans. But now that Dutch authorities are on my back again, I’m considering not returning to the Netherlands.”

(jn/as)

© Radio Netherlands Worldwide