17 california run away rights

[ccsmod5]

Hey there,
Thank you for reaching out to the National Runaway Safeline. We are glad that you are reaching out for help—that takes a lot of bravery. It sounds like you are going through an extremely difficult time right now with life at home and are thinking about running away. We are so sorry to hear that you were abused by your father and had to witness your mother being abused, as well. That is a lot of trauma to experience and we cannot imagine the burden you are feeling in this moment.

You ask very good questions. Although we are not legal experts here at NRS, some options to consider is looking into emancipation laws in your state. Emancipation is a law where a minor (meaning someone under the age of 18 years old) can be considered an adult if he or she is able to prove that they can financially support themselves, are legally married, or are active in the military. We are not experts in this legal area, but often the process may take a few months and you will need to go before a judge to explain your case. A resource that may be helpful in answering questions related to this is the National Center for Youth Law Agency at (510) 835-8098 (www.youthlaw.org/).

If you do decide to runaway in the meantime, one thing to consider is that since you are not yet 18 years old nor emancipated, your guardian could file a missing child report to their local police department. Law enforcement will collect basic information about you that will go into a national database, and they can then return you home in the event you are found. Have you considered where you may go if you do runaway? Who would you stay with that is safe? How would you support yourself financially to cover the cost of housing, food, and necessities? Would you still attend the school you normally go to now? We can offer temporary youth shelters for you in your local area, but given your age, your guardian may still need to consent for you to stay there. If you call us (1-800-RUNAWAY) or reach out via chat at 1800runaway.org (click on the “chat” button), we’d be happy to provide those resources for you.

If you ever feel unsafe, you can text the word “safe” to 4HELP (44357) to receive a message of the closet Safe Place to go. There is also an Advocacy Center for teens who have been impacted by sexual violence, they can be reached anytime, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week on their hotline: 607-277-5000.

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

hi im a 16 year old year and my dad molested me when i was 6 and has verbally abused me and physically abused my mother in front of me my whole life. i told my mom how he did that to me and she is still staying with him. id like to run away and get emancipated how would i do that legally without getting anyone in trouble i just want out of this situation please respond asap!

[ccsmod15]

Thank you for your response to another user’s post! Often forums are a place of support and understanding for many youth. You are correct that often running away can end up putting a person in danger, especially if they can't reach out to police for help in emergencies for fear of being returned home. For anyone experiencing any difficulties or challenges, the National Runaway Safeline encourages youth to reach out to our 24/7 crisis support line either by phone or chat for immediate services.
Thank you, NRS

are you sure you want to run away it's not safe to do that

[ccsmod0]

Thanks for reaching out to us at the National Runaway Safeline. You made a great first step to finding the help that you may need. It sounds like you are going through a lot and the people around you are not being supportive. You deserve to be treated with respect, to experience acceptance and to feel safe.

We want you to know that you are strong for having gone through so much already. It is perfectly okay to deviate from what others or the common population believe to be “normal”. Your bravery and resilience is so admirable. You are so strong for having gone through so much without having the acceptance that you do deserve for just being you. Remember that you are not alone. If you ever want to talk more about what you are experiencing or get additional support we are here 24/7 at 1800-RUNAWAY or our live chat service. The GLBT National Hotline at 1888-843-4564 is another option to gain great support from those that are familiar with the issues and experiences of those that are also a part of the LGBTQ community. You can access their website link bellow to utilize all the other possibly useful resources they have to offer: http://www.glbthotline.org/

You mentioned that you were considering the options that may be best for you. By all means, if you do fear for your safety either now or in the future, do not hesitate to take the necessary steps to regain your safety. This may mean calling the authorities or possibly reporting the things you may be experiencing. Other options to think about may be other family members, friends, or a trusted adults that would be able to provide you with support or a safe place to stay. It is great that you thinking ahead. Should you feel like leaving home is best, it may be a good idea to think about how you will provide necessities for yourself such as food, clothing, showers, healthcare and other basic needs. You may want to also consider how your parent’s will react to you leaving without permission. We are not legal experts here, but typically as a minor (under the age of 1 you need permission from your parents to leave home. It is not illegal to runaway, but it would mean that your parents could file a runaway report with the police. This is usually done in an effort to try to return you home as the police are required to do so.

If you can give us a call at 1-800-RUNAWAY or reach out through Live Chat we can try to find some youth shelters that may be near your city and state by utilizing our database of resources. We can also try to call out to shelters with you or on your behalf to advocate for you. 

Stay Strong,

NRS

Trans Lifeline: 877-565-8860; https://www.translifeline.org/

Trevor Project: 1-866-488-7386; text “START” to 678678; chat at https://www.thetrevorproject.org/

I'm 17 year old transgender male. I live in Los Angeles, California. I live with my mother. She abuses me but not physically. I need to runaway, I can't stay here. I have no money and I don't know where to go or what to do. What do i do?

[ccsmod7]

Hi there,

Thank you for reaching out to National Runaway Safeline and being willing to share some of your story with us, it takes courage to reach out for help and we’re glad that you did! It sounds like you’re in a very difficult situation at home. We’re so sorry to hear about the emotional abuse that you’re experiencing, it’s not okay for someone to treat you that way. It also sounds like a really upsetting situation that you are not able to spend time with your siblings.

If you ever want to talk in more detail about your situation we are available by phone and chat 24/7. It’s important to note that we are not legal experts so we cannot advise on your specific case as to what might happen. However, in general if a youth is to run away from home and their parent or guardian contacts the police they would likely be returned home. Also, any person who harbors a minor that has run away may be at risk for getting in trouble. Again these are general guidelines in terms of runaway laws and we cannot say what would specifically happen in your case. To get more specific information it could be helpful to contact legal services in your area. If you wanted some help finding resources, you can always call or chat us and we can try to help guide you toward these resources. You can also contact your local police department’s non-emergency number for questions about local runaway laws and responses.

We hope this was helpful information and hope you reach out if there is anything else you need! We are only able to respond by forum two times so if you would like to talk with someone live please contact us at 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929) or chat with us on our website https://www.1800runaway.org/.

We wish you the best of luck in this difficult situation and are always here if you want to reach back out!

Be safe,
NRS

HI,
I will be turning 18 in three months and I am adopted. But my biological siblings have already turned 18 and were kicked out. My adoptive mother has been emotionally abusive but she does not realize i. The only times she speaks to me is to tell me to do something (a chore), ask if I did my chores, or tell me that I did not do a chore right and to redo it.I'm planning on moving into my biological brother's house because I can no longer take this abuse. My adoptive mother does not let me see or speak to my biological siblings and gets upset if I do despite the fact that through the adoption we were to stay together and be allowed to see each other even if one of us was over 18 and moved out of the adoptive home. Can this be a strong case against my adoptive mom? Can I fight in court to live with my brother? Are the police going to take me back if she calls them? Please help

[ccsmod4]

Hey there,

Thank you for reaching out to the National Runaway Safeline. We know it takes some courage and level of vulnerability to reach out. Were really sorry to hear that you and your mother’s relationship isn’t as strong as you would like it to be. We can only imagine what other obstacles of challenge that places on you in your situation.
You do have some options in terms of emergency housing. We can always help you find some of these opportunities whether that be a youth shelter or houseless shelter, a Transitional Living Program (TLP)/Independent Living Program, or a friend or other relative living arrangement if available.
If you would like we can discuss these options in further detail if you are interested. If so, we encourage you to reach out to us via phone or chat. Our contact information is as listed: 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929); www.1800runaway.org (click on the chat button).

We wish you all the best!

NRS

I’m 20 years old. single mom of a 2 year old girl I live with my parents but it’s very hard to live here I don’t have a good relationship with my family mostly with my mom. I love my parents and I’m grateful for what they’ve done for me but since me and my mom don’t get along it’s very hard living here I’m constantly told that they can’t wait until I move that they’ll be better off with out me. We’re always arguing. Im saving up to find a place for my daughter and I but I sometimes cant stand it anymore I don’t really have anyone I can go to

[ccsmod15]

Hi there,

Thank you so much for reaching out. It takes a lot of courage to reach out for help. We are here to listen and support you.

First off, we want to say that we are sorry for what you are experiencing at home from your dad and sister. No one deserves to be hurt like that. You deserve to feel safe at home. You have the right to report abuse with Child Protective Services. If you would like to learn more about abuse reporting you learn more through Childhelp (childhelp.org) which has more information about abuse and abuse reporting. We are always available to help you file an abuse report if that is something you are interested in.

It sounds like you are interested in the legal issues related to leaving home again. While we are not legal experts at NRS, we can tell you that in most states at the age of 17 you are considered a minor. This means if you were to leave home without your parent’s permission, they can file a runaway report which means the police can bring you home. One thing you can do is contact your local police department through the non-emergency line and ask about specific laws in your area. We are always available to conference call with the police department as well to help you gain more information. You can also call us at 1800-RUNAWAY (786-2929) 24 hours a day or by chat (1800runaway.org) and we can discuss other options you may have.

We wish you all the best,

NRS

Hi I’m 17 and I’ve run away from home because my father is physically and mentally abusive and is also a drinker and gets severely angry when drunk and threatens to beat me and chokes me to the point where my neck is left red or drags me so hard he rips my clothing. I’ve been thinking it over and I let my mom come get me from where I ran away to but me and my sister don’t get along and she threatens to fight me and hurt me all the time I never feel welcome here she led me to believe I could go back to the place I was staying and lied I want to know what rights I have to leave again and will the police come and get me if I’m in a safe living situation where I’m going to stay I live in California I just want to know if I’ll have to come home where I don’t feel safe nor am I happy there

[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 email 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

Iam 16 years old Iam turning 17 in 2 months if my parents file a report on me as a runaway is there any problems me or my parents can get into for me leaving home at 17 years old

[ccsmod15]

Hello,
Thank you for reaching out to the National Runaway Safeline. It sounds like your mom wants to send you, against your will, out of the country to live with your dad. We understand that this can be a difficult situation. You are not alone.
One option is to enroll in school through The McKinney-Vento Homelessness Assistance Act. This act authorizes the federal Education for Homeless Children and Youth Program and can help if you are considered homeless. Which would allow you to attend school still even if you have to live out of a shelter or friend’s house.
You mentioned not feeling like you had alternative places to stay, there might be shelter options close by which could be a safe place to stay until you turn 18 and no longer need to worry about parental permission. They often require parent consent or notification but not always. If you reach out directly we are happy to explore options in your area.
You might also be able to access a legal aid resource to check if a parent can force you out of the country to another parent. There might be issues in terms of citizenship with sending you out of the country, or that might prevent you from re-entering the country if paperwork is not in order.
We are available 24/7 and would love to help you more directly through live chat on our website http://www.1800runaway.org/ or by phone at 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929).
Best,
NRS