what could happen to my bf if we run away together??

[ccsmod2]

Hi there,

We’re sorry you and your boyfriend are having a difficult time with your parents right now. Your boyfriend certainly does not deserve to be intimidated by his dad like that. You ask a couple good questions. We aren’t legal experts, but we can try and answer as best as we can.

If you were to leave home without permission before 18 you would be considered runaways. Your parents could file a report with the police and you could be detained by police until you were released to your parents. Additionally, anyone you stay with could be accused of harboring a runaway, which is a crime. By the way, running away is not a crime, but it is a status offense.
You also ask what might happen if you didn’t get caught and then came to your parents when you are both 18. First, it is very unlikely that you would not “get caught” as your parents would most likely file a runaway report and you would be found by police. But, if you did manage to leave for the next few years and then came to your parents there would be no legal consequences but there most likely would be personal and family consequences for running away so young. You may want to think about what running away could mean for your futures: how running away would affect your life goals, your schooling, how you would have your needs provided for, and so on. Beyond the legal issues a lot of consequences. You’re smart to be reaching out to others to get advice, though.

We hope this information helps. If you’d like to talk more about the situation we are always here to talk. Perhaps there are other options for you both besides running away. Or, if you do decide to run we can possibly find a safe place for you to stay at temporarily. Give us a call any time at 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929). We’re confidential and anonymous and hope to hear from you. Good luck!

[Unregistered]

I'm 18 and my boyfriend is 19 we want to run away and leave 5 hours away from here and stay with his cousin he will be working at a fast food restrurant and I'll transfer to a community college there I can't stand being at my house anymore I have 8 sisters who are always on me when I go out they complain or if I clean and stay in my room they complain on everything I do and I can't take it anymore me and my boyfriend have been together for Alonso a year now but have known eachother for too I'm not sure what to do

[ccsmod5]

re:

Hey there,

Thank you for being able to reach out to us here at the National Runaway Safeline, it seems like you are going through a pretty tough time at this point in your life and we want you to know that we are here to listen and to help in the best way we can. From what you shared, it seems like you and your boyfriend are ready to leave home.

We want to start off by letting you know that we are not legal experts here, meaning that we are only able to speak generally about your situation. In most states, once you are 18 and over, you are able to leave your home without your parents’ consent. If this is something that you might want to know more positively what would happen, you are able to contact your local police department and ask “am I able to leave legally at 18?” If this is something you are nervous about or would want us to reach out for you, please feel free to give us a call at 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929) we are here 24/7 and would be more than happy to ask that general question for you.

We are also able to explore a little more of your options with you, perhaps resources to shelters or transitional living programs where you would be assisted with becoming an independent individual. We are here 24/7 and would love to talk to you more about your situation. Our hotline number, as I mentioned earlier, is 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929) and we also have a live chat service that is available every day from 4:30 PM to 11:30 PM CST. We wish you the best of luck and hope to hear from you soon.

Stay strong,

NRS

[Unregistered]

Need advice

Hi I just turned 16 in July and my boyfriend and I want to run away and be together until we can legally get married. He is 17 and will be 18 in December. I'd like some advice before I go through with it , like what would mostly happen if our parents filed a run away report or any thing else like that . Could we get in trouble by authority's?..

[ccsmod15]

Re: what could happen to my bf if we run away together??

Hey,

Thank you for reaching out to the National Runaway Safeline and sharing with us some of what has been going on. It sounds like home is not where you or your boyfriend want to be and are thinking about leaving. It must be hard to be in a place, but it sounds like you are trying to come up with a plan if you were to leave. Here at NRS we are not here to give advice, but we are here to listen and support you in what ways we can.

You mentioned that you are 16 and your boyfriend will be turning 18 next month, in December. You are asking some great questions, such as what happens if your parents file a runaway report and can you get into legal trouble. Here at NRS we are not legal experts, but can speak in general terms. Generally, you are an adult when you turn 18. If you decide to leave before you turn 18, then your parents have the option of filing a runaway report. Running away is not a criminal offense, it is a status offense. This means, generally, you cannot get arrested for running away. It is like a status bulletin that goes out to the local, or state, police departments to let them know you are a runaway. If you are found, then you most likely will be brought back home. Where it can become criminal, is for an adult (someone over the age of 18 are helping you runaway or allow you to stay with them. That is generally called harboring a runaway and is a criminal charge. The severity of the charge varies from state to state.

If you want to get more direct information you can call your local police department and generally ask them how they would handle a runaway in your situation. If you don’t have to give any identifying information in order to get this information. If you don’t feel comfortable calling you can have an adult call on your behalf, or you can reach out to us on our hotline at 1800-RUNAWAY and we can make that call for you.

We hope this helped and if you would like to discuss your situation in greater detail you can 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

[Sm311er_b]

Hiding

My girlfriend is 16 and i recently turned 18. My girlfriends mother keeps her locked in her room all day, also her mother keeps locking her up ( having her 302 ) bc she keeps trying to leave. Im only aloud to see my girlfriend for two hours on a Saturday once a monthIif im lucky. I can't do tbis for two more years. So my question is if i manage to get my girlfriend to my place and keep her here what are the odds of us getting away with this. Also my parent are all for it, they support me and would love to help. I should mentioned i moved from my previous adress so her mom doesn't know where i live. So would she be able to find us? Could the police possibly search my hous? My parents say everything would be find but i need a second opinion if im to go through with this.

[ccsmod2]

re: hiding

Hey there,

It's great that you want to support your girlfriend in her time of need. But we are not legal experts so we can't say exactly what would happen if you decide to help her run away. If she leaves her parents can file a runaway report for her. Anything that happens after that depends on what her parents and the police decide to do. You may want to contact a legal aid office for legal information about possible consequences of harboring a runaway. Your parents can help you to do this as well if they will be helping you with this situation.

Best of luck,
NRS

[Guest]

Hey so me and my bf are both 17 we are trying to run away because im pregnant n im almost due so i want to be together but my parents dont want us together if we run ways once we get caught what will happen to hin or me.

[ccsmod2]

Hello,

It seems like you and your boyfriend are concerned about possible consequences of running away. In general if you run away there is a chance you may be brought back home. Or if you are staying with an another person, they could get into trouble for letting you stay with them. You may want to think about what you both will do to support yourselves and how to take care of the new baby, health insurance, jobs, etc. We are not legal experts so we can't tell you what will exactly happen. You could try contacting the non emergency police in your area for more information.

Best,
NRS

[Guest]

I am 17 and my girlfriend is 16. She has an abusive situation at home but her parents are prepared to lie in court about it. We are considering running away.. Would I be charged with harboring a runaway if caught. Her parents would definitely file a report. Any advice would be helpful thank you.

[Guest]

I am 17 and my girlfriend is 16 and she has an abusive situation at home. Her parents are prepared to lie about it in court and claim that she is not psychologicaly stable (completely untrue) They are taking actions that are directly negatively affecting her life and not letting her have contact with anyone. Not even family or close friends. We want to run away together, but I know her parents would file a report and try to get her back home. God knows what would happen to her then. My question is could I be charged with harboring a runaway if neither of us are 18? And once we were both 18 could we get legally married or would there be consequences to face? Any advice here would be helpful. Thank you

[ccsmod14]

Hi there,
Thanks for reaching out to the National Runaway Safeline. We’re sorry to hear your girlfriend has been facing difficulties at home with her parents. It’s good she has someone who is thinking about her well-being and reaching out to resources for support. She is also welcome to reach out to us if she has anyone questions, concerns, or would like to talk about what’s been going on in depth.

We’re not legal experts here so we wouldn’t be able to say whether or not you could be charged with harboring a runaway. You may want to consider seeking out legal advice. If you gave us a call or chatted with us, we could figure out if there are any legal aid resources in your area.

If that is the case, you may want to consider what other options you might have or things that could be affected if you left. If she is thinking about going to college, she may need her family’s income documents or if she is under their insurance she might continue to depend on them. Maybe there might be a family friend or respected member in the community that could mediate a conversation with them.

You can reach out to us at our 24 hour confidential hotline at 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929) or live chat with us from 4:30 PM -11:30 PM CST and we would be happy to support you through this.

Take care,
NRS

[Guest]

Hello, I need help
me and my boyfriend are planning go move from where we are right now his parents are moving they have asked me to go with them because my mum hates him and they are trying to tell me that his a bad influence on me however this person understands me his the most loving person I ever met yes we do argue but who doesn't ? But at the end of the day we still love eacother I don't know what could happen I'm 17 turning 18 next year my boyfriend is turning 18 in 6 months and his parents what's me to go with them and if I do what can happen to me? I'm not planning to tell my parents ! I need help

[ccsmod1]

Thank you for reaching out to us at the National Runaway Safeline. It sounds like you are in a difficult situation, and we understand it takes courage to reach out for help. The National Runaway Safeline is located in the United States of America (USA). Our knowledge of helpful community based resources and our understanding of youth in crisis related laws is limited to the USA. If you are located in a country outside of the USA, you can use this link to find a youth helpline in or around your country: http://www.childhelplineinternationa...where-we-work/
We hope that by reaching out to a local resource, you are able to get the support you need from an organization that understands the laws and circumstances that affect youth in your country.

[Guest]

Run away

I am only 15 years old and my boyfriend is 18 and my mom said that I can run away to Louisiana with him for all she cares and that she won't look for me is it illegal to run away and move in with him and his family?

Omg, I'm 15 and my boyfriend is 18 too, he lives in Florida and we're really attached to each other, so there is no way that we're getting separated. I want to run away to be with him so bad, my mother thinks he's the problem in my life one moment and then she thinks he's a good guy. Last night she threatened to have him put in jail if he tried to contact me. Can I testify in court if he was to be branded a stalker or a pedophile? I don't know what to do, I can't stay in this household anymore. My mother has a boyfriend and he abuses her but she's still with him, so she listens to him and he thinks that my boyfriend and I (Nicholas) should be separated. He has nothing to do with the issue that was started at home. I refuse to leave him. I've had mental breakdowns because I would be away from him for too long. My family is going to Fort Lauderdale on June 28th so I'll be 33 minutes away from him, what would happen if he just showed up to see me?

[ccsmod1]

Thanks for reaching out to us for help. It sounds like you really care for your boyfriend and it is really difficult for you to be separated from him. It is understandable that you are upset by your mother trying to make you stop seeing him. We are here to listen and support you in any way that we can. We are not legal experts, however we can give you some general info. We are not sure what state you live in, however we do know that at 15, you are under the age of consent in every state in the US, because they range from 16-18 depending on the state’s laws. In the eyes of the law, teens cannot consent or agree to sex until they reach the age of consent, which is 18 in Florida. Age of consent laws are meant to protect youth from being manipulated or forced into sex with older people. We are not sure what state you live in, and you didn’t say if you and your boyfriend were sexually active. If you have had sex, your boyfriend could be charged with a crime regardless of how you feel about the relationship. If your mom has threatened to have him put in jail for contacting you, he could get into serious legal trouble for meeting up with you. If you were to run away to be with him, he could be charged with harboring a runaway, or possibly more serious crimes like kidnapping or statutory rape, depending on the situation. That is a worst case scenario, however the risks for your boyfriend if he were to show up and your mom calls the cops are significant. We are here to listen and help you in any way we can, so if you have questions or need to talk, don’t hesitate to give us a call any time. We are looking forward to hearing from you soon, and wish you the best of luck.

[Guest]

Im 17 years old , but im turning 18 in less then 3 months , my boyfriend is 20 and is turning 21 in less than 3 months as well . I currently live with my parents , but my sister recently moved in as well with her two kids . since shes my moms favorite , ive been her slave and im tiered of it . My boyfriend and his family are more than honored to have me living with them since i spend most of my time there , but they dont want any problems with the police or my parents . If i ran away , with my boyfriend, would i get them in trouble ?.

[ccsmod6]

For starters, thank you for reaching out about your issues at home. It sounds like you are living in a difficult situation. You certainly do not deserve to be anyone’s slave and it is understandable that you want to leave home for a different environment.
We are not legal experts but we can offer some general information on the question you posed. Because you are 17 years old, legally your parents can file a runaway report if you leave home without their permission. However with you being so close to 18, the police may or may not take any action which could include returning you home or taking action against your boyfriend’s parents. You may want to consider calling your local police department to ask them what would happen in a situation similar to yours.
If possible it would be easiest if you were able to speak to your parents and your boyfriend’s parents with all parties agreeing that you can stay with your boy friends family. Realizing this could be a difficult discussion to have, we do offer conference calling. If you would like to try to talk about the topic with your parents and us as a neutral third party, we’re more than happy to help. You can take advantage of the conference call service or simply call to explore your options by reaching out to us at 1-800-786-2929. Again, we’re really glad that you reached out to us. It takes a lot to ask for help and you are trying to figure out your options which is really good to see. If you would like to talk further about your situation, please do not hesitate to call or chat with us. We’re here to listen, here to help.

[Guest]

I'm ready to move out, I'm also 16 years old and I can support myself really well. My boyfriend is turning 18 years old and he works in a factory and he can help support everything so do you think I could move out but I heard that they don't do emancipation in my state any more so what could I do?

[ccsmod7]

Hello there, thanks for reaching out.


Sounds like you are hoping to move out and live with your supportive boyfriend at 16. Sorry to hear that your state does not offer emancipation, that seems really frustrating. Please call or chat us if you want us to double-check emancipation laws in your state.


We are not legal experts but we can speak generally. Typically 18 is the legal age you can move out in most states. The easiest way you can leave home at 16 is with your parent or guardian’s permission. If you leave home without permission, that is when your guardian can attempt to file a runaway report for you with local police. If you are found by police, you typically would be returned home. If you are found, your boyfriend could be at risk for being charged with harboring a runaway since he is 18; which is a misdemeanor offense. So running away is not usually illegal for you, but he is the one who could be at risk of getting into legal trouble.


Please do not hesitate to call or chat us if you want help brainstorming additional options for you.


We wish you the best,

NRS

[Guest]

lolol, im 15 and wanna runaway. i have a criminal threat charge pending. if i run will i go back to jail or what the likely hood that i'll get away with it..