Advice ?

[Unregistered]

I'm 17, I live in the state of Louisiana & I don't know the laws of moving out without any consent of my parents !

I want to leave because of all of the pressure & stress my family puts on me ! Emotional, physical, & mentally.. I have two illnesses that I'm not supposed to have any kind of stress build up ! & recently that's all I have ! It's really taking a tole on me & my health . I get told everyday that I am nothing important & that everything is my fault. & it really is getting old .. I can't take anymore ! I never want to go home because my house isn't kept up & when it's not I'm made to do it (by myself).. & I have 8 dogs, so you can only imagine how bad it gets .

I have several places to go, but my dad threatens to file kidnapping.. I don't want them to know where I'm going either.. I do know that I am tired of living here & I HAVE GOT TO LEAVE..

[ccsmod13]

advice ?

Hello,

Thank you for contacting the National Runaway Safeline and sharing with us some of your story. We are so sorry to hear that you are not in a supportive environment. No one deserve to be blamed for everything and told they are not important. We are very sorry to hear about your illnesses. You deserve to be in an environment, in a home that treats you with respect and support during this difficult time. Thank you again for reaching out to us.

You mentioned that you are 17 and living in Louisiana. We are not legal experts here at the NRS but we can speak in general terms regarding if you were to run away. Generally the legal age of adult is 18. Running away is not a criminal offense. It is a status offense, this means that because of your age you are not allowed to do it by the law-such as ditching school. If you were to leave home without your dads consent, then your parent would have the option to file a runaway report on you. Because your parents are legally responsible until you are an adult, by filing a runaway report they are letting the police know that you left without their consent.

I understand that your dad threatens to file for kidnapping. Generally, if you were to leave home without your parent’s consent and you were to stay with a friend or family member, your parents were to file a runaway report, and the police were to find you, then your parents would have an option to charge that person with harboring a runaway. If you were found with a runway report made on you, the police may or may not decide to take you home.

However, 17 is a tricky age because it really depends on your local police department on how they would handle your situation. Because you are 17 and close to 18, some police may not want to put their resources into finding a 17 minor that is in a safe place and does not want to return home. Others may decide to bring you back home. An option you have is to call your local police department and generally ask how they would handle a 17 year old runaway situation.

We hoped this helped, and if you would like to discuss your situation further we encourage you to call us on our 24/7 hotline at 18007862929 or chat with us every day from 4:30pm-11:30pm CST. Again, we hoped this helped and we wish you the best of luck. Stay strong.

NRS