If I runaway and I am somewhere safe, Can my parents call the cops?

[Guest]

Uhm this is my first time on here but ive run away alot of times , but i still dont feel safe or happy at home my family make me feel like im useless pathetic and would threaten me with phrases of what they would do to me , my family do not want me here and i dont wanna be here i wanna leave , weve already had "people" tryna help the family b

[ccsmod15]

Hi there,
Thank you for writing to us here at National Runaway Safeline (NRS). We understand it takes great courage to reach out, and we appreciate you sharing a little bit about what’s going on. It seems there is a lot that you are faced with right now and you’re feeling like leaving is one of your only options. It seems you want to know some information on runaway laws.
While we are not experts on the law, 18 is generally the age that an individual may leave home without parent permission. If you are under 18 and leave home, your parent/guardian may file you as a runaway and you may be returned home. Also, those you stay with may run the risk of being charged with harboring a runaway. For more specifics on the law, the local non-emergency police or legal aid may better answer legal questions.
We are here as support to help through this challenging time. We can best help by phone or chat as NRS is unable to respond more than twice by forum to assist you. If you would like to talk more in detail please call or chat soon.
Our contact information is 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929); www.1800runaway.org (click on the chat button).
If you are at risk of any danger or feeling unsafe, we encourage you to reach out to 911 or seek emergency assistance immediately.
Be safe,
NRS

[Guest]

im 17 and want to run away which i have a couple weeks ago.. but what do i do if my mom calls me?

[ccsmod15]

Thank you for reaching out to us. If you’re 17 and a runaway, if your mom calls, it’s ultimately up to you to decide whether you want to talk to her, though keep in mind she does have the right to file a runaway report via the police. If you'd like to use us a mediator for a conversation between the two of you you can give us a call at 1-800-RUNAWAY. How the police react and whether they take any action to look for you, can depend. We can’t predict what they will do, whether they will start looking for you, do nothing, or what. Generally speaking, the closer you are to 18 the less likely the police will search for you. Just so you know, in most states at 18, you are the age of majority and can chose to live independently of your parents.

If you do runaway, its important to have a plan on where to go and be safe. A plan would include brining all your important IDs and identification, money to buy food, etc., clothing, and anything you need. If you want to talk further or chat with the National Runaway Safeline, please do not hesitate to call us at 1-800-RUNAWAY or chat with us via the chat feature on our website: www.1800runaway.org We are here 24/7 and hope to hear from you soon to see how we can further help. Good luck and stay safe!

[Guest]

My mom and dad keep threatening to beat me and they have been doing that for a few days and sometimes they beat me with chargers and sometimes whatever they find and I'm a minor what can I do in this situation?

[ccsmod2]

Hello There,
Thank you for reaching out to The National Runaway Safeline, we are here to help and here to listen. It sounds like you are going through a really difficult time and we want you to know that you are not alone.
Home is a place where you deserve to feel safe, and we are sorry that it sounds like you do not feel safe at home. It sounds like you are going through physical abuse, and you have every right to make a report. There are a few ways that you can make an abuse report and we will explain the different ways. One option is you could talk with a school counselor or teacher, because they are mandated reporters they would be required to make a report. Another option is you could call Child Help at 1800-422-4453 and they can help with making a report they also have a chat function at ChildHelp,org. Lastly, you can always call or chat with us and we can help you make a report.
We hope this information will be helpful to you in your situation. We are available to help you and support you 24/7. We wish you the best of luck!
NRS

[Guest]

i dont have a phone my parents took it away but im 15 , my parents mostly hurt me emotinaly but is not uncommon for them to hit me i want to run away but im scared i dont know what to do i dont know what i should get and i dont know where to go, i donr want to leave at the same time because ill miss my friends but if i tell them and i do leave and if my parents decide to go looking for me which they most likely will i dont want them to be trapped into all of this, What should i do, bring , and any tips? please and thank you.

[ccsmod10]

You don't deserve to be in an environment where you're regularly feeling emotionally hurt, or being hit. We're thankful that you know you deserve to be happy and safe, and are looking out for yourself. We're here to help every step of the way as best we can.

Running away at 15 can be challenging, because there is not a lot of structure in place to support you. We can still talk through possible options, though.

If you ran away, your parents could look for you themselves, and they could also file a runaway report with law enforcement, which means that police might investigate where you were and try to return you home. Your friends wouldn't get into any legal trouble if you told them, but if you were staying with someone who knew you'd run away, they could be charged with a crime called harboring a runaway.

There are some shelters for people in your situation, and if you want to send another post, live chat us, or call us, and give us more details about your location, we might be able to look into specific options for you. Staying with another family member or friend that you trust is often the safest choice.

Whatever you decide, it is good to think through a plan before you leave. Consider where you will go, how you'll get there, how long you would stay there, how you would keep yourself safe, and who you would contact in case of emergencies. Bringing food and water, clothing, basic hygiene products, and a device to communicate with people is a good place to start thinking.

You don't have to deal with this alone; please feel free to contact us again. We are here to listen and help.

[Guest]

So I’m 17 and pregnant and I need to leave my house I get treated badly there I get yelled at all the time everything‘s my fault and I don’t need the stress and I have a family members house to go to but my mom is threatening to report me as a runaway but she’s an alcoholic and I don’t need to be around that what do I do

[ccsmod3]

Hi,

We are glad you reached out to us for help. It sounds like you have an incredible amount of stress with your parents and it makes sense that you want to leave. You are in a grey area for most law enforcement filing a runaway report being so close to 18. Most jurisdictions won’t take a run away report on someone within a few months of turning 18. We recommend that you call us so we can conference call to your local police department and find out how they would handle your situation (especially given you have a safe place to go).

Just so you know, it is not a crime for you to runaway and you cannot be arrested for that.

We can help you figure out the best plan for you to handle your car and to make going to your family member’s house as easy and safe as possible. We would also like to help you find local resources and programs to support you as you transition to independent living and manage your pregnancy.

You have a lot going on and you deserve help and support. We would like to help you find that. You can reach out to us any time 24/7 for a chat through our website www.1800RUNAWAY.ORG or on our crisis hotline at (800) RUNAWAY. Both are completely confidential.

We hope to hear from you soon.

Good luck,

NRS

[Guest]

hi i am 15 turning 16 and my parents are threatning to call the cops because i am grounded and they dont want e going anyhwere so i told them that i was going to run away fro a bit to my frineds house which is very safe and they said they will call the cops if i leave the house is that allowed?

[ccsmod1]

Hi there,

Thank you for reaching out to us here at National Runaway Safeline (NRS) with this question. Please know that we are not legal experts. However, it is to our understanding that any individual under the age of 18 must have a legal guardian responsible for them. In this case, it sounds like your parents may have a right to contact the police to bring you home if you were to run away to a friend's house after being told that you are grounded. It would then more than likely be up to the cop how they decide to move forward with the situation. You could try contacting the non-emergency dispatch line for the police department and ask them this question hypothetically and see if they can give you any insight to their protocol.

We hope this was able to answer your question and we apologize that we do not have any guarantee of what the outcome may look like. If you need any help exploring other resources or would like to talk further, please feel welcome to give us a call at 1-800-RUNAWAY or through our online chat service, found on our website at www.1800runaway.org.

Wishing you all the best,
NRS

[Guest]

I am 13 years old, turning 14 in mid-September. I am not getting physically abused at home, but my parents are not good. If I call the Runaway Safeline if I were to run away for help, will my parents be notified that I called? Will law enforcement know also?

[Guest]

I am 14 years old and i am getting abused i wanna run away but afraid to go back home i am stuck and need advice

[ccsmod11]

(If you are in danger for any reason, please call the police or go to your local emergency room.)
Hi there,
Thanks so much for reaching out to us. It sounds like there's some pretty scary stuff going on at home, and we are so sorry to hear this is the case. While we don't know much about your situation, we'll do the best we can to help you out.

First off, you mentioned some things that raise concern for your safety and well-being. If any harm or abuse is happening at home, you have the right to report it. We are not experts on the issue, but generally once it's been reported, social services will either decide whether or not to take the case and further investigate. If they do take the case, they will send out someone from child protective services to do an investigation (interviewing people in the household) and from there they will decide the level of danger within the household. It generally ranges from no danger (the youth stays in the home, some services are given, and the case is closed), moderate danger (they will provide family services with possible temporary displacement) and high danger (they will remove the youth from the home and offer certain services).

If you feel like this is an option you want to explore, you may find this website helpful: https://www.childhelp.org/child-abuse/. We can also help you to file a report if that’s the route you are considering. Please be safe and reach out soon by phone or chat so that we may help.

Next, you mentioned that you are looking to leave home. There are some things you should know:

18 years old is generally the age that an individual may leave home without permission from their parent or legal guardian. We are not legal experts here but we can speak in general terms. If you are under 18 and leave home without permission, your parent/guardian may file a runaway report with the police. What actions the police take once you are filed as a runaway can vary a lot from state to state and even city to city so we cannot predict exactly what would happen in your case. Generally speaking, if you encounter a police officer while reported as a runaway, you will likely be returned home. However, in that case there may be services (family counseling, etc.) available to you as a youth in crisis/runaway but again, police procedures related to offering those services can be different based on your location or the details of your situation. Another thing to consider is that while running away is not a crime, a legal adult who allows you to stay with them may be putting themselves at risk for being charged with harboring a runaway. One way to find out the laws in your area is to call your local police and ask what their policies are regarding runaway youth.

If you do choose to leave you might go stay with friends or family members. If you are escaping abuse, you might also contact us to help you locate youth shelters near you.

We would love to hear more about your story and give you more personalized advice. The NRS is here 24/7 via online chat or by calling 1-800-RUNAWAY (796-2929). We hope to hear from you soon!
Good luck!
NRS

[Guest]

I am 12 years old and I am not getting abused, but my parents mistreat me and treat me unfairly. I have depression and they don't understand it by any means, and they pressure me into things and say there will be consequences if I don't fulfill their goals. I want to run away, but they took away my phone, iPad, and any devices (I am on the family computer right now.) I have ran away temporarily to a Kroger before, but got scared and came back. Do you have any advice for me?

[ccsmod11]

(If you are in danger for any reason, please call the police or go to your local emergency room.)

Hi there,
Thank you so much for reaching out to us. We're so sorry this stuff is going on at home. Your mental health IS your health, and it deserves to be recognized by your parents.

You mentioned that you are thinking about running away. This is a really personal decision and only you can decide what will lead to the best outcome. Since you're so young, the safest place for you to go is to a trusted family or friend's house. Here are some legal things to know about leaving home:

If you choose to leave home without your parents' permission, they could choose to file a runaway report with the police which means they will find you and bring you home. Although you won't get in any trouble with the police and running away is not a crime, you will have to face any consequences your parents have. Additionally, any person you are staying with over age 18 could be charged with harboring a runaway, which is a criminal charge. However this is only a possibility and not guaranteed. The best way to know exactly how the police would handle a case like yours is to call your local non-emergency police line and explain your situation without giving away personal details.

Additionally, you mentioned things are going on with your parents at home where they have unrealistic expectations for you and don't take your depression seriously. Does anyone else know about how you feel? It might help to talk to someone like a friend, a trusted teacher or counselor, or even another family member to get advice on how to handle things. Every situation is different. It may be worthwhile to try to talk to your parents honestly about how their words are making you want to leave home. You might even consider writing them a heartfelt letter to make sure they understand exactly how you feel and how serious the situation is to you.

We would love to hear more about your story and give you more personalized advice. The NRS is here 24/7 via online chat or by calling 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929). We hope to hear from you soon!
Thanks again!
NRS