**Social workers in the Netherlands have taken legal action to try to stop a 13-year-old girl from sailing around the world on her own.**They want Laura Dekker to be made a ward of court, so that her parents, who support her plans, temporarily lose the right to make decisions about her.
Laura’s father, Dick Dekker, has had a request for her to miss two years of school turned down.
Laura had a yacht by the age of six and began sailing solo when she was 10.
“Since I was 10 years old, I’ve known that I would like to sail around the world,” she told Dutch television.
“I want simply to learn about the world and to live freely.”
A junior education minister recently told parliament that “a solo voyage around the world would not be in the best interests of the child”.
The court is due to make a ruling this week.