I need to leave my house

[ccsmod13]

RE: I need to leave my house

Hi,

Thank you for reaching out to us at the National Runaway Safeline. It sounds like you have been going through a very difficult situation and it is very courageous of you to contact us. We are so sorry to hear that your step dad has been mistreating you. No one deserves that and it sounds like you have been trying to protect the family by keeping it a secret the way that you have. Thank you for sharing with us your story. We are her to listen and support you in what ways we can.

As mentioned before, no one deserved to be hurt the way that you have by your step dad. You mentioned that the police were involved in the past, but your mom was not supportive and so you ended up forgiving your stepdad. You sound like an individual you cares about others. We want you to know that we are here for you and we care about you. No one deserves this.

We are so sorry to hear that nothing had changed once you guys had moved to New York. It must be really hard for you to be in the same house with your stepdad hurting you and your mom not being supportive of how it is effecting you. As a minor, your parents must protect you and provide for you. If they do not do so, then you have the right to file an abuse report with your state child protective services. You can do that by calling Child Help USA at 1800-422-4453 or by calling out hotline. We can make the report with you or for you. It sounds like you are very considerate of your family, and your brother is also someone that you care about.

You mentioned that you’ve also considered leaving to live with your friends. We aren’t legal experts, but we can speak in general terms what could happen if you decided to leave your parents home. Generally you are not an adult until you turn 18. If you were to leave before you turned 18, then your parents would be able to file a runaway report with the local police department. Essentially, this is a notification to law enforcement that your parents cannot be held legally responsible for you. Running away is not a criminal offense, it is a status offense. This means that you cannot do it because of your age, not because it is against the law. However, anyone that stay with could be charged with harboring a runaway-this might be the reason why your friend’s parents will not let you stay with them. Unfortunately this also goes for shelters.

One thing to keep in mind is that an abuse report and a runaway report are both official documents. If you decide to file an abuse report the police may not allow your mom to make a runaway report. This may allow you to stay with friends or family that you trust. Another option you have is to visit www.nationalsafeplace.org and see which safe place is closest to you. This is a place minors can go and get support they need. Someone will come out to that location and provide you with services.

Another option you have is to talk to a trusted adult about what is going on. That could be a friend’s mom, school counselor, or even us. We also have a database and if you were to call we could look up other resources, legal aid options, or see if there is someone in your area that you can talk to.

We hoped this helped and if you would like to discuss your situation in greater detail you can always give us a call on our hotline or chat with us on our website. We look forward to hearing from you and we wish you the best of luck.

NRS

I'm only 16 years old, and I just really need to leave my home. Ever since my mom got with my stepdad, 8 years ago, he has been touching me. My friends and I used to have this notebook where we would write things and I wrote that he used to touch me, my teachers got hold of that book and got the police involved. My mom was devastated and thought I was just doing it for attention. So I somewhat forgave my stepdad and we moved to New York. Once we where here, he would try touching me when I was asleep. I wouldn't let myself so he would always try to putting my mom against me and treated me bad and told me to leave the house when she wasn't around. I never told my mom cause I don't want to cause any trouble. Now I'm to the point where I just need to move for my own sake. My brother is always hearing him and I fighting and I don't want him to be mentally hurt or any sort of that. I've asked my friends if I can move in with them, but most of their parents won't let them and I have nowhere to go.