PHILIPSBURG/ THE VALLEY: ----It was all smiles, tears and even laughter for Elisabeth Fredericks the woman who was once called the "stateless woman” when she was presented with her British Passport in the presence of human rights advocate Terry Peterson. Elisabeth and her children travelled to Anguilla on Thursday where she was officially presented with her British passport after it was proven that she was born on Anguilla on May 4 1964 to Sylvia Richardson.
According to the records at the civil registry, Elisabeth was registered as Sandra Elizabeth Richardson of North Hill. Further research conducted by the Anguillan Civil Registry verified who some of Elisabeth’s relatives, Elisabeth did a deed poll to change her name from Sandra Elizabeth Richardson to Elisabeth Fredericks, the name she carried all her life even though Stateless and without an identity.
Terry Peterson said what seems to be a long and futile battle for an identity for Elisabeth and her children who are also affected by her ordeal has come to an end. Elisabeth was abandoned by her mother Sylvia Richardson-Gumbs who was found to be living in St. Thomas as a regular writer to the editors of the Anguillan Newspapers. Also accompanying Elisabeth on Thursday was councilor from the court guardianship Ms. Doris Dedier and a member of the governor’s cabinet.
Fredericks, who grew up on the island of St. Maarten, never had a birth certificate and was not really sure where she was born. What she does know is that she grew up at Down Street, did all her schooling on St. Maarten, and at one point worked for the Island Government of St. Maarten as a civil servant.
Fredericks also filed applications for passports for all her children who are also Stateless. The are expected to receive their passports in the next two weeks.
At one point, she was told that she had been born in Anguilla, but there were no records to prove this, and on other occasions, her birthplace was stated as “unknown.” On many occasions, she was asked to seek assistance in Anguilla, where she was claimed to have been born. A 10-year search from 1960 to 1970 in the civil registry of Anguilla revealed that there was no record of an Elisabeth Fredericks ever being born in 1964 or 1969 on the island of Anguilla, thus causing the Census Office in St. Maarten to revise its entry of her registration of 1967 and ‘British’ status to ‘Unknown’. In fact, Ms. Fredericks received letters to that effect in 1998, 2004 and 2008. In a letter to the Head of Civil Registry in St. Maarten on October 29, 2008, the Registrar General of Anguilla, Judicial Department, stated, ‘A search was carried out at the Registry of Births, Deaths, and Marriage and there is no entry of a birth recorded on May 6, 1969, or any other date for Ms. Elisabeth Fredericks.” In addition, they were right.
Elisabeth along with Terry J. Peterson then took her case to Mr. Gert Jan Stortelers, Representative of the Netherlands in the Netherlands Antilles (VNP) on Monday, December 22, 2008. He agreed that she had a good case, which deserved special attention because of her health situation, and promised to do everything possible to expedite a resolution to Ms. Fredericks’ situation. During the meeting, he even telephoned the office of the Governor General of the Netherlands Antilles and pledged to consult with the Lieutenant Governor of St. Maarten at the earliest opportunity to see what could be done to expedite a temporary travel document for her travel to Holland for urgent medical attention.
Earlier this year, Elisabeth received an official written response from the Lieutenant Governor of St. Maarten, Mr. Franklyn E. Richards, in respect to her requests on last Kingdom Day. In a letter dated January 9, 2009, Lt. Governor Richards indicated that her case was high on the agenda of his cabinet and expressed his commitment to have her situation resolved in accordance with the law. He expressed that he was happy that there was a good relationship between his staff and Ms. Fredericks, and that his legal team would work diligently together to bring her case to good closure. The Lt. Governor of St. Maarten had also consulted with the Governor of the Netherlands Antilles, that in fact, Elisabeth had received a call from the Cabinet of the Governor of the Netherlands Antilles reassuring her that the case had their attention too. All of this culminated with Elisabeth being granted the temporary travel document and flying outside of the Netherlands Antilles for the first time, to the Netherlands on the first of February, 2009. However, the search for her identity continued.
Searches were conducted in all the places where her mother was thought to have lived, specifically, Anguilla, Marigot, and St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands. However, there was no record of “Elisabeth Fredericks.” Until, more searches in Anguilla revealed a record of a Sandra Elizabeth Richardson of North Hill, being born on May 4, 1964 to Sylvia Richardson, a birth date that coincided with what Elisabeth Fredericks had, and it also contained information about her family. The information was further verified by the Anguillan Civil Registry. However, in order to keep her name as “Elisabeth Fredericks,” she had to undergo a deed poll in accordance with British Law. With the British nationality, her children will now be able to, if they choose, apply for Dutch nationality according to the law.
Elizabeth and her family are very happy with this development and would like to thank the Governors of St. Maarten and the Netherlands Antilles for their support, interest, and efforts in her case. She would also like to thank the staff of the Governor’s cabinet and Legal Team, the personnel at the Census office of St. Maarten and the Registrar General and staff of Judicial Affairs Department of Anguilla, the Government of Anguilla, the Bureau of Police Affairs and Prosecutor’s office (OM) of St. Maarten, the IND Office and all supporting donors and sponsors for their understanding, cooperation and assistance. However, most of all, she would like to thank especially, Mr. Terry J. Peterson, who she said, “kept fighting for me to have an identity in spite of heavy criticism, intimidation and ridicule.” “Had it not been for the death of Stanley Gumbs, he probably would have never heard my story.”
In an invited comment, Ms. Dorris Dedier of the Court of Guardianship, who had taken Elisabeth’s children away from her eleven years ago because of her inability to handle the stress and victimization she was experiencing at the time, said, “I am relieved that now Elisabeth can walk tall and proud of having an identity. She can feel like she belongs. No one can continue to treat her as if she is a Nobody. Her family and rights have been restored. Elisabeth’s children now have a place to belong and call home. Now, they can find their place in their society, culture, family, and nation.”
Terry J. Peterson added that, “No longer will they feel humiliated by employers and employment agencies wanting them to produce a passport to get a job or stressed-out by banks to present a passport to open a bank account. Her kids will have equal access to health-care, social security, and governmental scholarships. She is now able to exercise her right to freedom of movement, the right to leave and to return to her country, and the right to a nationality. Elizabeth is very grateful and is now very confident that she and her children now have an identity in time for Christmas.”
