17 turning 18 in less than two months

[Guest]

Hi, I am 17 years old in Anthony, NM, my parents abuse me mentally and emotionally, they yell at the top of their lungs for anything I do, my dad's constantly telling me that he hates me and he puts his hands I'm fists ans says if I weren't his son he'd beat me, I'm not scared of them at all, I'm just really tired of this and also deal with separate anxiety and depression which is in big part caused by how they are with me, today is August 14, 2017, i turn 18 in September 30, 2017, if i leave now and my parents report me as a runaway will i get into any legal issues if I get caught ? What about if i don't get caught what will happen when i turn 18 if I am reported as a runaway ? Would I get in trouble for having had runaway ?

Also if my parents give me consent to go stay at a friends house can their be any legal issues for me or my friend? What if my mom let's me go but decided to report me as a runaway? because we've talked about it before but she doesn't want to let me leave the house Because she is afraid she will get in trouble ? Will she ?

Thank you for any help it is greatly appropriated

[ccsmod10]

Hi there,

Thank you for reaching out to the National Runaway Safeline. It sounds like things have been really stressful at home. Nobody deserves to be abused, and it’s not okay that your parents threaten you and treat you that way. We’re sorry to hear you’re going through this, but it’s good that you’re reaching out for support.

We are not legal experts, but we can give you some ideas of what might happen if you chose to leave before turning 18. It’s not illegal to run away from home, but it is a status offense due to your age. What that means is that fi your parents filed a runaway report and the police found out where you were, they would most likely bring you back home. However, if you have your parents’ consent for you to go and stay at your friends’ house, then you would not be considered a runaway. As long as you have the consent of your parents for where you are staying, you can leave and live elsewhere.
If your mom is still concerned about herself getting into legal trouble, one option would be to call your local police’s non-emergency number, (575) 882-2769, and ask them about runaway reporting and laws. Your mom could ask about whether she could give you permission to stay with your friend. Something else you might check in with the local police about is how they handle runaway reporting for youth who are almost 18. Sometimes when a youth is approaching their 18th birthday, the police will choose not to accept a runaway report, or will not actively pursue the youth. If you wanted support in calling the police, we also offer conference calls, where we could call the police with you and help advocate for you to get your questions answered.

If you’d like to conference call the police together, talk further about your situation, or if you need any other support, you can call us at our hotline at 1-800-RUNAWAY. We’re available 24/7 to offer help and support. Thank you again for reaching out to us, and we wish you all the best.