Age: 17 / Wanting to run away.

[Unregistered]

I'm 17 years old and I live in the state of Ohio. What are the laws regarding a 17 year old runaway? I've talked with a few friends, and one of the families are willing to take me in if I do decide to run away. Thing is, my parents are emotionally and verbally abusive. They try to manipulate me and constantly say things to try and make me feel guilty for no reason. When they get off work, they tend to yell at me to vent out their frustrations on me from their jobs. Is their any law that would allow police to force me to come back to this horrible home if they were notified by my parents? If so, is there anything that I can do to get away from here ASAP? I have a job, so I can fend for myself in the real world, and I can still go to school. I just can't stand living in a home where I'm constantly being mentally abused by my so-called "parents". I don't turn 18 until March, so it's quite a while until I could legally move out, but I've been seriously considering suicide as a last option if that's what it takes to get out of here. I can't stand living here. It's too much stress for me. Please tell me there's something I can do. I'd rather not call my police department either, since if there is a law preventing a runaway then they would know that I'm getting ready to leave. Also, I don't want to call a suicide hotline, either. I don't want to involve anyone unnecessarily. I just need to get out of this house. Please help me. I need to know if there are any laws against a 17 year old runaway in the state of Ohio. Thank you.

[ccsmod14]

Re: Age: 17 / Wanting to run away.

Hi there,

Thanks for reaching out to us here at the National Runaway Safeline. It sounds like things at home have been really difficult and we are sorry to hear about all of this. We’re glad that you contacted us, we’re here to help.

So it sounds like you have been thinking about suicide as a last resort to getting out of the bad situation at home. This is a really serious consideration. How long have you been thinking about ending your life? You said that you do not want to call a suicide hotline because you do not want to involve anyone unnecessarily. It is understandable, although we want to let you know that if you are thinking about killing yourself, it may be considered a necessary time to involve another party for your safety. If you do change your mind, the National Suicide Hotline at (800) 273 TALK (8255) is available 24/7 for you. Of course, there is always 911 if you feel you are in immediate danger/need of assistance as well.

It sounds like you have been experiencing emotional and verbal abuse at home and we are sorry to hear this. You do not deserve to be abused in any way, you deserve to feel safe in your own home. It sounds like you are pretty set on leaving which is understandable. We’re not legal experts here, but generally speaking if you leave before the age of 18, your legal guardians have the right to make a runaway report. If a report is made, and the police found you, they would just bring you back home. Running away is not a criminal offense, it’s a status offense. However, anyone that you stay with could potentially be charged for harboring a runaway. The way that law enforcement handles it differs by state, even by county so although you do not want to call the local police department, that would be a way to find out how it may be handled in your area. An alternative would be to call us here at NRS and we could make a call out with you/on your behalf since you are not entirely comfortable making the call alone.

We hope that this information was helpful, and if you would like to talk more we do encourage you to call or chat with us. We’re here to support you as much as we can.

Good luck and stay safe,
NRS

[Guest]

• Turning 18 in 3 weeks wanting to run away so my boyfriend can help me raise my son and so we can be in a heathly environment but my mom said ohio laws say i cant move out until I turn 18. What would happen I were to run away with my babt

[ccsmod2]

Hello There,

Thank you for reaching out to The National Runway Safeline, we know that it takes courage to reach out and we are glad you took the first steps into reaching out to us. It sounds like you are going through a tough time right now. In most states the legal age to leave home without permission is 18 years old. Because you are 17, if you were to leave home without permission, your mother does have the right to file a runaway report. We are not legal experts, but if you were found the police would most likely bring you back home. In a lot of cases we see the police often times do not take runaway reports for people who are 17. To find out the exact answer you could call your city’s non-emergency police department and ask them what could happen. You could also consider waiting three weeks, until you turn 18 to avoid any legal trouble. We hope this information was helpful in your situation. Best of Luck!
NRS

[Guest]

17, I live in Chillicothe Ohio. I live with my dad. He’s never really been in my life. But he has the past 6/7 weeks. He grows “magic mushrooms” -shrooms. But him and I got into a physically fight because I didn’t go home Saturday to see if he had plans or to feed our dog. Although he was here and could have done it. Anyway, things got super bad. He asked for my keys and I told him no. This is when things got bad. He started choking me yanking my phone and keys that I’ve paid for in my name. And took them. And later on called me toxic and a parasite. And my mother isn’t stable because she was sexually abused when she was a kid by her dad. My father was into drugs and is off of them. But grows shrooms and does mushrooms and smokes weed. I need to get out of here. Please help.

[ccsmod13]

Hello,
Thank you for reaching out to NRS – it takes a lot of courage to share your story. It sounds like you’re going through a really difficult time right now. You do not deserve to be treated that way, especially by your dad. You deserve to feel safe in your own home.
If you feel you are in immediate danger, please call 911. What you’ve described sounds like physical and emotional abuse, so filing an abuse report is an option. To file an abuse report, contact your local CPS (Child Protective Services) office. If you’d like to talk about the reporting process, or if you need help in filing the report, we would be more than happy to help – please call 1-800-RUN-AWAY. Another resource you may find helpful is ChildHelp (https://www.childhelp.org/) at 1-800-422-4453. ChildHelp is geared towards helping youth in unsafe homes.
Again, thank you for reaching out and sharing your story. You are strong, and you deserve to feel love and support. We encourage you to send us a chat or call us at 1-800-RUNAWAY to talk more directly about your situation.
Best of luck. Stay safe.
NRS