Under 18 Mom's and Rights to Leave Home.

[Guest]

Hello,
My 17 year old daughter lives with her older sister that was appointed her guardian. For 3 long years I fought the illegal guardianship. My daughter was kept away from me until recently. She will be 18 in 2 1/2 months. In Jan she had a baby..
My daughters guardian is Mentall and Emotionally abusing my daughter. She kicked her and the baby out last night and stood on her side walk as we loaded my daughters things into my motor home. An hour later she called and said if she was not back by 6pm the next day an Amber Alert would go out. She then told her she would have to carry her stuff in with no help.
when then found out that the guardian removed over 7,000 from my daughters account which is Social Security money. When asked about it she refused to answer and told her she could not go on the 2week trip back home with me for everyone to see her and meet the baby...
It broke my heart to Leave her there. I and my daughter were afraid that if I ignored her I would be arrested for kidnapping and my daughter possibly in juvenile court for run away. That would not be good as she has her child to think about..My daughter is so Emotionally fragile and this %$#$ is getting away with so much. I can't seem to stop her and I fear for my daughter and the baby....She told me she has spoke to other girls in her situation and that in Co because she is a mom and so close to 18 the police won't do anything if she leaves..Does anyone know if this is true? I need my daughter safe without risking the baby..I need help. She needs help and I can't bare the thought of them there one more second.

[ccsmod15]

Hello,

Thank you for reaching out to the National Runaway Safeline. It sounds like your daughter is in a very difficult situation right now, and it’s understandable that you’d be upset and worried about her. Nobody deserves to be abused, and it must be extremely hard to know your daughter is living in an abusive situation. It’s clear that you care very much about your daughter and her baby, and it’s good that you’re reaching out to support them both.

Your daughter’s safety, and her child’s safety, are our primary concern. While we’re not legal experts, we can give you a general idea of what might happen if your daughter chose to leave her guardian’s home. Running away from home under the age of 18 is not illegal, but it is what’s called a status offense. What that means is that if your daughter left, her guardian could file a runaway report with the police. If the police accept the runaway report, they might attempt to locate her and bring her back to her guardian’s house, but she would not be taken to court or charged with any crimes for leaving.
In some cases when a youth is approaching the age of 18, the local police will choose to not accept the runaway report or would not actively search for her. One option would be to call your local police’s non-emergency number, and anonymously ask questions about your situation to see how they would respond in this situation.

No matter what decision your daughter chooses to make in terms of staying with her guardian, it might also be good to plan other ways to keep her safe for the next 2.5 months until she is 18. You mentioned that you feel your daughter is emotionally fragile, and she’s probably under a lot of stress. One way you might support her could be to help her plan ways she can take care of herself. Whether it’s talking to friends and family, reaching out to a counselor at school, or talking to a therapist, planning ways to help her to try stay safe in an emotionally abusive situation might all be helpful.

If you’d like to talk more about the situation, or would like referrals to resources (legal aid, counseling services in your area), our hotline number is 1-800-786-2929. Please also feel free to pass on our number to your daughter as a resource. Our hotline is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and someone will be here to listen and provide both of you with support and resources.

Thanks again for reaching out, and we wish all of you the best.