if i runaway can my mom call the cops?

[Unregistered]

I need help

Hi, I'm 16, I want to runaway. I just ran away the other night and my mom turned off my phone and took my iPad. She verbally abuses me, it's gotten worse and worse since my grandma passed away in 2012. I'm forced to live with my mom and her boyfriend, she has hit me in the past and threatens to every time we argue. Or she'll threaten to throw things at me. Is there anyway I could get help to move out? If I ran away then went to school would the police take me home? My mom doesn't care about my emotions at all. Since 2013 I've dealt with the passing of both of my grandmas, my uncle, and my great aunt. I'm depressed from my mom pushing me away like I don't matter.

[ccsmod10]

RE: I need help

Hello there,

Thank you for reaching out to us during this difficult time. We are sorry to hear you are being abused, nobody deserves to be called names or have things thrown at them. It sounds like there has also been a lot of loss lately with your family. Have you ever considered looking into grief counseling?

It sounds like you are thinking about running away but still want to go to school. Just to let you know, you do have certain rights as a runaway. You have the right to feel safe in your own home. You also have the right to go to school regardless of your living situation under the McKinny Vento Act. If you left home but still went to school, do you have a trusted teacher or counselor you could talk to about what is going on at home?

Although we are not legal experts, technically it is not against the law for you to run away from home. In most places it is considered a ‘status offense’. However, anyone you would be caught staying with could possibly be charged with ‘harboring a runaway’. If the police are called, they may ask you why you left home. If home is an unsafe place for you, they may get Child Protective Services involved.

If you would like to further discuss your options, we can be contacted at any time at 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929) or by live chat at www.1800runaway.org from 4:30pm-11:30pm Central Standard Time. We look forward to hearing from you and wish you all the best of luck. Take care and please stay safe!

- NRS

[Unregistered]

Running away.

Okay so I live with a friend and her mom. Her mom just got custody of me but I want to run away. I feel like all I do is cause stress on everyone and I don't like that, and basically if I stay here I will have no privelages until I graduate. I've been through a lot in my life, more than any kid should and I'm ready to be on my own. I have a safe place to stay but it's close to where I live. I was thinking about writing a note before I left saying I left and I wasn't kidnapped not to call the cops. But I'm sure she will anyways. I have an iphone. Can they look at my messages? How long will they take to stop looking for me? I wouldn't do this but I know if I got emancipation papers she wouldn't sign them. I already have a plan for school and I'll be safe. I might also tell them I'm in a different state.

[ccsmod11]

Re: if i runaway can my mom call the cops?

Hello,

Thank you for contacting the National Runaway Safeline. It sounds like you’ve been going through a lot all of your life. It looks like you’ve put a lot of thought into a safe place you can stay where you can still go to school. Your legal guardian could call the cops and file a runaway report if you are under 18. After a runaway report is filed, the cops will usually stop looking for you once you’ve returned home or once you turn 18 years old. In terms of your phone, they might be able to locate you with it, but they may not be able to see your messages; it depends on the plan and carrier. If you decide to go through with emancipation, we can try to provide you with resources specific to your area.

You can speak to us on the phone 24/7 at 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929) or chat with us at 1800runaway.org (from 4:30 pm to 11:30 pm central time) if you have any questions about running away.


Good luck, and we look forward to hearing from you soon,
NRS

[Unregistered]

pregnant teenager

Hello um..im 16 and im pregnant and dont want to talk to my parents about it cause i know there gona want to hit me tell me to put my kid up for adoption or put my babies father in jail and i dont want none of that to happen because i just want whats best for my child and that is me raising him and i want to runaway with my babies daddy but im scared that if i go to tje hospitial they will call the police on me from my apperance and arrest my babies daddy and ive been considering emancipaton but i dont know if the judge will favor in my defense

[ccsmod6]

Hi

Thanks for contacting the National Runaway Safeline. It sounds like you are dealing with a lot right now. You mentioned that you are pregnant and have been unable to talk to your parents about it. It is unfortunate that you feel that your parents would make you put your baby for adoption if they found out. The thought of being forced to give your child away sounds pretty scary.

Generally speaking, it is not illegal to runaway in most states. However parents or legal guardians do have the right to report minors as runaways if they leave home without permission. If a runaway report is filed, it will get entered into a national law enforcement database. If a reported runaway come into contact with a law enforcement agent, a search can be performed to determine if the minor is listed as a runaway. If determined to be a runaway, the minor can be taken into custody until contact is made with the parent or legal guardian who filed the report. Generally arrangements are then made for the minor to return home. Runaway minors are not generally actively sought after by the police. Law enforcement agents are usually the only people who can access the database to determine if a youth is a runaway. Therefore you should be able to go to a hospital for care without the hospital staff being able to determine your runaway status.

In general, emancipation provides a minor the right to make decisions that are usually determined by his/her parents. Emancipation also removes the financial responsibility from the emancipated minor’s parents. In most states there are certain criteria that a minor must meet in order for he/she to be eligible to file for emancipation through the courts (i.e. age, enrolled in school, etc). It is hard to determine whether or not you are more or less likely to become emancipated since the rulings often vary by state.

We hope the information provided helps. Remember if you feel like your immediate safety is at risk, you can dial 9-11. If you have any additional questions, please don’t hesitate to give us a call. We are available 24/7 and can be reached by dialing 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929). We are also available via live chat between 4:30pm and 11:30pm CST.

Best Wishes
~NRS

[Unregistered]

Question??

Ok so I have a friend who ran away about 2 nights ago and is currently staying with one my other friends, I live in Nevada and was wondering if your 17 and you run away would the cops do much??

[ccsmod11]

re: Question??

Hello,

We are happy that you are reaching out to us. It sounds like you really care about your friend and want to make that they are safe. We're not legal experts, but we are able to talk about what might happen in general. Basically running away is what is called a status offence. That means that if a youth runs away and they youth’s parents file a runaway report and they police find the youth, they will just take the youth home. It is sort of like a parking ticket, in that you can’t be sent to jail for running away. However, if the parent’s of your friend that ran away want to press charges against the parents of the friend that your friend is staying with, they could be charged with harboring a runaway.

We hope that this helps. If you have any questions about anything or would like to talk more, please contact us 24 hours a day at 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929). If you aren't able to call, you can chat with us through our website (www.1800runaway.org) from 4.30pm-11.30pm Central Time. We look forward to your call or chat.

Best of luck to you,

NRS

[Unregistered]

ok me and my girlfriend are 16 and we are considering running away together but she is afraid of what her mother might do now if we left to a different city can her mother still file a report on us

[ccsmod3]

Re: if i runaway can my mom call the cops?

Hello,

It sounds like you and your girlfriend are pretty set on running away together. Since you are considering running away, you may find this link helpful: http://www.1800runaway.org/youth/get...ow/ten_things/.
We are not legal experts, so we cannot say for certain what would happen. However, if her mother files her as a runaway, it doesn’t necessarily matter what city you run to. Runaway reports, if entered correctly go into a national reporting database, so police in any city would have access to it. If you would like to continue talking about any questions or concerns you have, feel free to Live Chat with us right now. Simply click on the red Live Chat button on our homepage. It is open every day from 4:30 to 11:30pm CST. If you have trouble, we can always be reached 24/7 by calling us at 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929). Good luck!

-NRS

[Unregistered]

Can i be reported as a runaway if I leave a note?

I am almost 18 and I asked to stay the night at my long time boyfriend's house for ONE night before he moves. I will be just under 18 when he leaves, so I CAN still be reported as a runaway and i don't want that.

Here's some information about me:

I graduated almost two years early after losing all school records at the end of my freshman year. I have never drank alcohol, done drugs, smoke pot or even just cigarettes. I am not a rebellious child. I have made many decisions that are difficult for most adults. I raised my brother and sister when my mom went to jail. She came back and beat me and i got taken away. I know i did not deserve it. I've accepted it and moved on.
I am very responsible usually but i want to rest next to someone i love (yes, love, don't tell me i don't know what it is) for one night before i lose him for 8 months.
I want to leave a note saying I'll be back. If i state i WILL BE BACK, could i still be reported as a runaway?

[ccsmod4]

If I runaway can my mom call the cops?

Hello,
Thank you for contacting the National Runaway Safeline.
We understand that you have gone through what sounds like quite an ordeal with your family situation, you seem to have persevered in the face of what must have been some challenging times.
Good for you, your siblings were fortunate to have you there as sister and care taker.

We understand your feelings about wanting to be your boyfriend and your concern with being reported as a runaway.
In most states the legal age for adulthood is 18yrs of age so the it's possible the police could take a runaway report from your guardian. NRS cannot give you legal advice so It may be best to check with local law enforcement as to how long a minor must be out of the home to be considered a runaway especially if the parent has had notice from their child of their intentions to return within 24hrs.
Does that make sense?

We hope you are able to find a resolution to this situation and we wish you the best of luck.
If you have more questions about your situation you are welcome to call our 24hr crisis line at 1-800-Runaway (786-2929) to speak with one of our crisis liners.
NRS has a live chat session via our website www.1800Runaway.org available from 4:30pm until 11:30pm (CST).

Thank you again for contacting the National Runaway Safeline.
Take Care

[Unregistered]

Filed with CPS. Don't want to go home.

I'm 17 years old and I filed a report with CPS this morning. Parents have been very neglectful ever since I was 13, but in the last year it has reached unprecedented levels. This morning I was late to school (7:20 am) and my dad was yelling at the top of his lungs at me, threatening me, calling me things. Then all of a sudden he screams, "Tomorrow morning I am going to drag you out of bed whether you are clothes or not!!!". For context, I do not wear clothing when I sleep. I am a female. I get too warm and really it is a very personal thing and it is what it is. But How does he know i sleep like this!? I did not tell him ever! For the last week he has been saying, "you left the light in your room on, so I went in and you looked so peaceful..." he says stuff like this quite a bit lately and it is unnerving but today when he yelled about dragging me out of bed whether I am clothed or not!? WHAT THE HELL. He went too far, so I told him if he does this I would call CPS myself. Well later I went to my high school counselor and filled a CPS report against him.

In my area we have this place called Coffee Oasis, which gives a roof to homeless teens every night, 24/7. I can't go home. I'm afraid to. CPS isn't going to do anything about this unless it escalates but I can't go home. I just can't. I have work tonight, and I get off at 7:30 pm. I'm thinking of parking our family car a good 8-11 blocks away from this place and sleeping there tonight. I do not have any friends who are willing to house me, nor do I have any family who will either.

I'm scared. I'm scared ********less. I know if they caught me or found me or whatever that I would get physically abused whenever I go home. I know I would be in so much trouble. But I can't go home. My family is a toxic hell hole and I can't do it. I'm scared I'm being sexually abused in my sleep (I am a VERY heavy sleeper because of how little sleep I do get). I'm scared ********less. I can't do it.

I need an opinion. Should I ask the police to help me, or should I just go to Coffee Oasis. They won't report me.

[ccsmod9]

RE: Filed with CPS. Don't Want to Go Home.

Thank you so much for contacting the National Runaway Safeline. We're here to listen; here to help. We are very happy that you have contacted us and trusted us with your story. It is very understandable that you are afraid. We're sorry to hear that it seems as though you've been growing up in a very unsupportive household. We are equally very sorry to hear that you fear sexual abuse on the part of your dad. You did a great thing by filing a report with CPS and reaching out to other sources of support.

It's great that you are looking for other options since you are afraid to going home. Ultimately, the choice is yours. The police could be useful to go to since you fear for your safety. If you'd like, perhaps you can make a report with them as well--telling them about your fears for safety and how you believe you could have been sexually abused in your sleep. As far as if you decide to go to Coffee Oasis, perhaps you could connect with their staff on site so that they can help you receive support given your fears of abuse at home.

Since you are concerned that you are a victim of sexual abuse by a family member, it may be helpful to contact the Rape Abuse Incest National Network at 1-800-656-4673. Perhaps they could provide you with more insight and support. Check out these links below to learn more about what one could do if one were the victim of sexual abuse or incest:

http://www.rainn.org/get-information/legal-information/reporting-rape

http://spokanecares.org/index.php?c_ref=586

You are doing such a great job--finding hope and support wherever it is, despite being afraid. This is a skill that will take you far in life. It already has. You are no doubt going through a difficult time in your life, but you are doing the best that you can with what you can. Stay resilient and full of hope! We are very grateful that you've trusted us enough to seek our counsel. For more individualized support, we encourage you to call us at 1-800-RUNAWAY or reach out to us through our interactive chat. Our crisis line is available 24/7 and our chat is available from 4:30pm-11:30pm Central Standard Time. We hope to hear from you soon! If you are in need of some encouragement and inspiration, check out our blog:

http://blog.1800runaway.org/tag/tasha-richardson/#sthash.gC839l3c.dpbs

To close, we wish you all of the best! We hope that you become connected with the resources, people, places, and things that will serve to enhance the quality of your life. We commend you for your efforts to seek out the help you need!

Best Regards,

The National Runaway Safeline

[Unregistered]

runaway

If i runaway to my friends house what will happens to their parents ? Will they get charged for kidnapped ?