Me and my 17 year old gf need help.

[Unregistered]

Long story short- My and my gf had been planning on her running away from California to live with me in Minnesota, but our consciousnesses and fears of the law stopped us.
So now we have been looking into things like Protective Services and so on.
My girlfriend has been hit and abused.
Her parents also lied to her and tricked her into thinking that Protective Services were against her.
They also forced her to get birth control that she didn't want (a physical thing put inside of her against her will... which is btw illegal)
And they have been trying to brainwash her into thinking that as soon as she turns 17 later this month, they can force her to join the military.
We have been looking into protective services, but I can't find any concrete stuff.
Is there any way for her to legally move out of there?
We have considered calling Protective Services and reporting all the abuse, but would protective services let me and my mom take her into our home?
(I am 18, but I still live with my mom)
We are kinda scared with her birthday coming up and we need a plan.
So any sort of advice would help tremendously.

[ccsmod6]

Re: Me and my 17 year old gf need help.

Hello and thank you for posting to our online forum here at the National Runaway Safeline (NRS). It sounds like a lot has been going on and for quite some time now. You mentioned that your girlfriend is experiencing abuse at home from her mother. She does not deserve to be mistreated in any way. Her safety and well-being is important. Child Help USA 1-800-422-4453 www.childhelp.org is a national hotline that provides information on what constitutes as abuse, referrals, and the option to file an abuse report. We do not have legal expertise and cannot give a direct answer about what is/is not abuse or what the best plan of action is for your girlfriend to move out of her home. Generally, 18 is the age at which a teen can move away from their guardian. If your girlfriend left without permission, went to stay with you and your family, and her mom filed her as a runaway then the police may go to pick her up; your family may run the risk of being charged with "harboring a runaway" as well. This depends heavily on state laws and how police handle runaway cases in your area. It may be best to consult with your local non-emergency police department (county sheriff) and/or a legal aid office for specifics on the law.

If you or your girlfriend would like to talk more about what's been going on as well as explore filing an abuse report, we are here to help in any way we can. We have a database of resources that we can offer as well if you or your girlfriend needed further support. Please consider reaching out by phone or chat.

We hope to hear from you all soon.

Take care,

NRS

[Unregistered]

Re: Me and my 17 year old gf need help.

Thank you very much, and I will do so.
I do have one more question- if you don't have an answer than I would understand considering you aren't law specialists.
What would happen to her if we did call child help?
If she was taken from her home, could we adopt/take her in legally?
Or could she, through them, try to get emancipated?

[ccsmod9]

Re: Me and my 17 year old gf need help.

Hello again,

You are correct in that we can’t answer these questions with any certainty. Child Help may be able to answer these questions better than us, but again, it’s hard for anyone to say what will happen in an abuse case. It depends on a variety of factors.

If you’d like to call in to our hotline, 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929), we could refer you to a legal aid if you wanted to pursue adoption or see what would be required in your state for her emancipation.

Sorry we can’t offer any concrete answer on these topics, but as you know, we are not legal experts. Thank you for being such an amazing advocate for this person in their time of need.

Best of luck,

NRS