Can a 17 year old move out to live with her 18 year old boyfriend?

[ccsmod15]

Hello,

Thank you for reaching out to us here at the National Runaway Safeline today. It sounds like your girlfriend is in a difficult and potentially dangerous situation.

As you may know, the age of majority is generally 18; that’s when a young adult is legally able to move out of their parent or guardian’s home without permission. To verify this, you can go to www.sexetc.org for each state’s particular rules. If she wants to contact her local police department’s nonemergency number, she can ask how they might handle her situation if she were to move out prior to her 18th birthday. Each department is different in their approach.

You say that she is being abused, and she certainly does not deserve this. No one does. She deserves to feel safe and supported in her own home. If she would ever wanted to report this abuse or learn more about her options, she can go to www.childhelp.org. This is the national child abuse reporting hotline.

If you would like to share our contact information, she can also reach out to us for support and local resources. Our chat and phone lines are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and we are her to talk with either of you. Our confidential crisis hotline number is 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929). We hope to hear from you soon.

Take care,
NRS

Girlfriend is 17 gonna be 18 in 2 months and wants to move in with me 18 due to abusive house hold , is there a way that can be possible without her parents permission? Wa state and would move to another state

[ccsmod1]

Hello,

Thank you for reaching out to us here at National Runaway Safeline (NRS) regarding the situation your girlfriend is in. It sounds like there is abuse going on in her home and we see that you mentioned that you tried to reach out to someone, but that it did not help. We are terribly sorry to hear about the negative affect this has caused on your girlfriend's mental health and we are happy to be of support at this time.

Given that you mentioned your girlfriend has been self-harming, we would like to provide you with the contact information for 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. This is a support line, similar to NRS, that specializes in crisis services. Your girlfriend may receive direct and personal support by reaching out to this organization on behalf of her mental health. She may do so by dialing 988 and speaking with them over the phone, or by utilizing their online chat option, which can be found on their website at www.988lifeline.org

We also invite you into further, more direct conversation with our organization if you would like to explore ways that we can provide support. We have the ability to provide resources in your area that may be viable during this time. Please know that we are not law experts, but we have general knowledge and understanding surrounding the laws in place for persons under the age of 18. You are welcome to contact us by phone at 1-800-RUNAWAY or by our online chat option, found on our website at www.1800runaway.org

We look forward to the opportunity to talk further with you and we are wishing you and your girlfriend a long, healthy life full of peace.

Sincerely,
NRS

I'm 18 and My girlfriend is 16 in Oklahoma it okay be together by the law and her family abuse and treat her like a slave and yall at her call her name and have try to put hand on your we both of try to talk to them most of the problem is her step dad we need help we try to reach out to someone but it hasn't work yut she want to leave so bad she she has cut herself bc of everything help please

[ccsmod1]

Hi there,

Thank you for reaching out to us here at National Runaway Safeline (NRS) regarding your question about the legalities involved in a runaway situation. As you had mentioned, we unfortunately are not law experts by any means and situations may vary, therefore it is difficult for us to give you a clear explanation as far as what you can expect to happen if your girlfriend were to run away to your house. It sounds like you have a general understanding surrounding harboring laws, which would be the ultimate risk in the situation. It is to our understanding that the head of household is likely to be the one to have the charges against them if they were to be pressed. In this particular situation, that would mean that whomever is the head of household in your residence may be the one to take the fall if charges were to be pressed for "harboring a runaway."

For a more clear understanding, it may be helpful to contact your local non-emergency dispatch number for the police department or a general legal aid phone number. They would be able to help provide further clarity and guidelines involving the situation. If you need help finding these numbers or have any further questions / would like to talk more about the situation, you are welcome to reach out to us through our online chat portal, found on our website at www.1800runaway.org or give us a call at 1-800-RUNAWAY.

Best wishes,
NRS

I live in california. Im 18 and my girlfriend is 17 and i live like 40 minutes away from her. her parents are very mentally abusive to her n i was wondering about her moving in with me and my parents. I know there are harboring laws n what not. and i know having sex with her is illegal because she is still a minor by law but we havent had sex yet. I know you guys arent lawyers but i dont know who else to ask. We are thinking about just moving her in with me. i know her parents wouldnt allow it. Would i get in legal trouble?

[ccsmod2]

Hello There,

Thank you for reaching out to The National Runaway Safeline, we are here to help and here to listen. We are sorry to hear that you are going through a difficult time with your mom, and want you to know that you are not alone.

You mentioned wanting to stay with your baby’s dad, we are not legal experts but do have some information. Because you are a minor you would need to get permission from your legal guardian if you do not get permission you run the risk of being reported as a runaway. What that means is it is a possibility that you could be returned home.

You mentioned that your mother is not helping you or taking you to doctor appointments, this may be considered neglect and you do have a right to make a report. You can report this by calling Child Help at 1800-422-4453. You do not deserve to be neglected in any way.
We hope that this information will be helpful to you in your situation. If you have any other questions or would like

I’m 17 and pregnant and my mom isn’t doing anything for me while I’m pregnant. she’s not takin me to the doctors and she’s treating me like badly and I want to know if I can stay with the baby dad because he and his aunt does everything for me and our daughter ! PLEASE I NEED SOMEONE TO TELL ME SOMETHING !!!!

[ccsmod16]

Hi,
Thank you for reaching out. It sounds like you have experienced years of erratic behavior by both your mom and your dad. It sounds like the things you have tried to make it better there just don't work on them. It's understandable to want to get out of there. It's understandable to feel like you are "the crazy one", but that is just your mind trying to make sense of a situation that is very erratic.
It takes a lot of strength to have grown up like this and to have graduated, despite the lack of support. We hope you feel proud of yourself for that.
As far as being able to leave, since you are still a minor and she has already threatened police and P.I.N.S., we would have to have a conversation with you to discover what other options you may have. Securing a job is an excellent first step so that at the very least, when you are 18, you'll be in a financial position to leave.
We hope you will either chat us through this website, or call our hotline at 1-800-786-2929 (1-800-runaway). We are here for you 24/7 to talk this over.
Sincerely,
NRS

Hello, I am 17 I just graduated high school. I’m trying to get out of my parents house as fast as I possibly can. I live in ny, I am 17 and my girlfriend is 18. Neither of us have jobs atm but we are both working on it. Personally I think there’s something mentally wrong with my mother and I know for a fact my father is a addict. I’ve tried everything I possibly can to make it easier but everything for last couple years has been hell. I try my hardest to get out of this house and go to my girlfriends, no matter how many times I try to get away I always get forced back by my mom. I understand some of the things she does but she’ll still force me to come home for absolutely no reason. Like today and yesterday for an example. I was at my girlfriends house across the road and she told me I had to be home last night because today is Father’s Day. Which I understand but then I get here and no longer then an hour after I get here my father takes off. Around midnight my mom ran off to “pick up my sister” just for me to wake up at 7 am to my mom dad and sister just getting home. Cause my mom picked up my sister and dragged her around all night to find my dad. I then fall back asleep and wake up later in the day to my dad gone again. Mind you it’s Father’s Day and I still haven’t seen him once. And my moms insisting I have to stay home and wait for him so we can go to “lunch” even tho I’ve been waiting for the last 6 hours I’m not aloud to go to my girlfriends house. And I guarantee if I did she would be running over right behind me making a scene. Cause she’s done that multiple times saying she’s going to call the cops and put me on p.i.n.s. She says the cop she’s going to call knows her so he won’t care about what I have to say just care what she has to say. Everyday I try and try and try and hope something will change. I feel like I’m trapped in this house with these crazy people that normalize bull******** behavior. (Sorry for my language) I just need out of this house as fast as I can and all I feel is stuck like there’s nothing I can do. Idk maybe my mom is right and I’m the crazy one.

[ccsmod10]

Hi there, we're glad you reached out. It sounds like you have thoroughly thought things through and have made a plan where you feel safe and comfortable-- which is great!

Technically your boyfriend can only be charged with harboring a runaway if your parent reports you as a runaway (which involves calling local law enforcement and reporting that you are missing from home). Then, if your boyfriend was discovered to be housing you without disclosing it to local authorities, he could face the misdemeanor of harboring a runaway. However, it sounds like you plan on staying in contact with your mom and keeping her abreast of your whereabouts, so it seems unlikely she would report you as a runaway.

If you'd like any more support in this process, please feel free to reach out to us again. Whether it's for legal questions or emotional support, we're here to help as best we can. You can live chat us at 1800runaway.org or call us at 1-800-RUNAWAY.

Hey, i turn 17 in July and my bf turns 18 in January. He’s going to get an apartment probably in February 2023, with one of his buddies. I would still be in my senior year and obviously we’d stay in the area and I have a car/pay for my own insurance, as I have a well paying job. I would be able to go to school everyday and help with the bills around the apartment. I also have great attendance and grades. I’m simply tired of my situation at home and have decided to move out fast since I was a kid. I live in SC and know that I wouldn’t face criminal charges/ wouldn’t be brought back home either. Applying for emancipation would take too long and my mom would never sign for me to leave, so running away is the only option. What I’m here to ask is if he could face any criminal charges for harboring a runaway? As I would try to keep in contact with my mom and she’d know who I was staying with.

[ccsmod15]

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 what’s going on with us. It sounds like you’ve thought about some options for leaving home, primarily moving in with your long-distance partner. We’re not legal experts, but it may depend on the laws of your state and if your parents decide to report you missing—which your parent would still have the legal right to do as you are under 18. We unfortunately can’t tell you what to do, but we’d be happy to discuss more options to help ensure your safety if you’d like. Please feel free to reach out to us at 1(800) RUNAWAY, or you can chat with one of our crisis counselors online at 1800runaway.org. Take care, and we hope to hear from you soon!

Sincerely,
NRS

Hi so I wanted to move out when I was 17 and move in with my boyfriend who recently turned 18 once he finishes Highschool I live in Ohio. And we been planning this for a while but my father doesn't know at the moment, which I was gonna tell him

[ccsmod2]

Thanks for reaching out to us at the Runaway Safeline. Your situation sounds stressful and complicated for you.

Generally, if you are underage and leave home without your parents’ permission, your parents can file a runaway report with the police, and they will return you to your parents’ home. The adult you stay with could get in trouble for harboring a runaway. In your case, if you left home to stay with your adult boyfriend, he could face some serious consequences. Would your parents consider letting you stay with a relative or trusted friend that might be more understanding of your situation? If not, then you may want to consider the trouble this could cause for your boyfriend, especially if there is any potential to jeopardize his immigration status.

Once you turn 18, then it is legal for you to leave home and stay with him. While it may seem like a long time to wait, you and your boyfriend may decide that it is better to wait than to risk legal troubles for him.

We are here to support you as you figure out what is best for your situation. It may help to discuss your specific details with us. Please feel free to call us or chat with us online at 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929)/ 1800runaway.org if you would like to talk in more detail. Good luck!