16yr old girl told she "doesn't exist"

[Amby 490]

A 16-year-old Essex schoolgirl who has lived in England virtually all her life has been told she does not officially "exist".

Jade Jacobs-Brooks has no birth certificate, no passport and no way of proving who she is because of a mix-up when she was born on holiday in Spain.

The Spanish authorities issued the incorrect documentation, and without a valid Spanish birth certificate she has never been able to register her birth in the United Kingdom.

The problem came to a head when she recently applied for a Saturday job but was turned down because she was unable to prove her ID.

Jade, who lives in Harlow, said: "It's so upsetting feeling like I don't exist in this country. My life is on hold at the moment. I can't get a job, a driving licence, go abroad, get married. I couldn't even go on a day trip to France.

"I have been really, really angry at times but I'm prepared to do whatever it takes to be allowed to live a normal life."

Jade was born on 25th September 1991 at the Veya Baja Hospital, near Alicante on the Costa Blanca, as her parents Linda and Victor enjoyed a holiday.

A series of misunderstandings and bureaucratic errors meant they left Spain without the correct documentation, and have spent the last 16 years trying to sort it out.

Her father, Victor, said the hospital has no record of her birth and so she cannot be traced back to get the correct paperwork.

Mr Jacobs-Brooks, 52, said: "We're at our wits' end. This has been going on for 16 years and it's beyond a joke now. Jade is becoming so depressed."

http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_2919607.html?menu=

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Jade from Harlow...

I wonder if she has a brother called Jordan.

Harlow and the surrounding towns need to be wiped off the planet.

[Hilarious Clinton 452]

I doubt she exists.

[Nessa 23]

if she thinks therefore she exists

[SpiritAlight 1]

Nice one Nessa!

If a human being is standing before you, do they not exist?

Welcome to the world of bureaucracy.

"I am not a number!!!"

[Dr. Obvious 49]

Can't they just do a DNA test on her and her parents? If her parents are British citizens, what difference does it make that she doesn't have a birth certificate, ultimately?

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Can't they just do a DNA test on her and her parents? If her parents are British citizens, what difference does it make that she doesn't have a birth certificate, ultimately?

Bureaucracies often don't work in a logical fashion.

"...computer says no"

"...there's nothing I can do"

Stock phrases for the sort of slack-jawed, dull-eyed, gum-chewing degenerates the UK government hires to do the grunt work in its bureaucratic institutions. Not too different from some aspects of the USCIS, Post Office, or DMV over here...

[Saddle Bronc 124]

Nice one Nessa!

If a human being is standing before you, do they not exist?

Not if you wish to ignore them (and claim otherwise)

Welcome to the world of bureaucracy.

"I am not a number!!!"

[Ban Hammer 13,352]

if she thinks therefore she exists

if she posts on vj, then she exists!

[SpiritAlight 1]

[Hilarious Clinton 452]

Nice one Nessa!

If a human being is standing before you, do they not exist?

Welcome to the world of bureaucracy.

"I am not a number!!!"

Don't I get credit for throwing that softball?

[almaty 19]

yeap..nice assist

[SteveLaura 0]

Can someone who doesn't exist be arrested? She should really exercise that loophole, if not.

[MrsCat 6]

I'd like to make this retroactive on my MIL.

[Jenn! 918]

Can someone who doesn't exist be arrested? She should really exercise that loophole, if not.

She probably can't be killed either! Now would be a good time for a bank robbery.