Escaping an abusive house with my brother

[Meg]

Hello. I'm seventeen, and I am currently trapped in an abusive household. Everyone in the household deals drugs, except for my little brother and I. He's only four years old, and I'm the only one who takes care of him. My boyfriend has offered to take us both in, but he's worried about the legal implications of me leaving with my brother. Any help is appreciated.

[ccsmod6]

Re: Escaping an abusive house with my brother

Hello. I'm seventeen, and I am currently trapped in an abusive household. Everyone in the household deals drugs, except for my little brother and I. He's only four years old, and I'm the only one who takes care of him. My boyfriend has offered to take us both in, but he's worried about the legal implications of me leaving with my brother. Any help is appreciated.

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.

You mentioned some things that raise concern for your safety and well-being. If any harm or abuse is happening at home, you have the right to report it. We are not experts on the issue, but generally once it's been reported, social services will either decide whether or not to take the case and further investigate.
Reaching out to Child Help USA at 1-800-422-4453 or www.childhelp.org may help to get a better understanding of what may happen before and after a report is made. If you feel like this is an option you want to explore, you may find this website helpful: https://www.childhelp.org/child-abuse/. We can also help you to file a report if that’s the route you are considering.


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 and take care,
NRS