If you stay away or if they were worried about your safety from the beginning, they may be thinking of a missing person and need to look for you. You will think about the risks to you if you flee and if you are safe and healthy. You may receive calls, text messages, or emails from them trying to contact you to make sure you`re okay. You might even receive a message from Runaway Helpline when the police ask us to tell you about us. In Hong Kong, 51.1% of at-risk youth identified by social workers aged 11 to 18 were outliers. [7] In the United States, an aberrant person is a minor who leaves his home without permission and stays away from home overnight (14 years and under or older or older and mentally incapable) or two nights (15 years or older) and decides not to return home when expected to return. [12] An outlier is different from abandoning a “disposable” child or youth. Runaway teens are evenly split between men and women, although girls are more likely to seek help through shelters and helplines. [13] In the United States, runaway children or adolescents are widely considered a chronic and serious social problem. It is estimated that there are between 1.3 and 1.5 million runaway and homeless youth in the United States each year. [14] [15] Studies also show that 89% of runaway children have been encouraged to do so by their peers. [5] Leaving means that you left your home or ran away without telling people where you went, so no one knows where you are or if you are okay.
Sometimes you may think about running away from home because of abuse, arguments, or violence. In other cases, it may be because you have been persuaded by a colleague, gang or partner. All of these factors are called pull factors. Whatever the reason, you need to know the risks you could face if you run away from home. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services` Family and Youth Services Bureau funds grant programs to help runaway and homeless youth. The organization also funds the National Runaway Standardboard, a national helpline for runaway teens, teens considering fleeing or in crisis, parents and other concerned adults. [20] [21] Fleeing home is considered a crime in some jurisdictions, but it is generally a status offence punishable by probation or not at all.
[16] Giving aid or support to a runaway rather than turning them over to the police is a more serious crime called “harboring a runaway,” which is usually an offence. [17] [18] The law may vary considerably from jurisdiction to jurisdiction; In the United States, each state has a different law. A 2003 FBI study showed that there were 123,581 arrests for runaway youth in the United States. [19] Disappearance is not illegal in the UK, and you won`t get in trouble with the police if you do. So if you feel like you need to talk to the police when you`ve run away or are living on the streets, you don`t have to let fear of punishment stop you. A family member or other caregiver, such as a caregiver or teacher, may ask the police to look for you when you flee from home or elsewhere. An estimated 47 million runaway and homeless youth live on the streets of India. [10] Studies have shown a higher prevalence of runaways among adolescents than among adolescent girls. Recent studies suggest that the leading cause of adolescent homelessness is family dysfunction in the form of parental neglect, physical or sexual abuse, substance abuse-related family disorders, and family violence. [2] [3] Almost half of runaway teens reported that at least one parent was struggling with alcohol dependence, and at least one-third reported that a parent was struggling with drug dependence. [4] Outliers have an increased risk of destructive behaviour.
About fifty percent of outliers have difficulties with schooling; including termination, exclusion or suspension. [6] Running away can increase the risk of delinquency for youth and put them at risk of victimization. [7] There are numerous studies in several countries on “street children” – adolescents who have run away and are currently homeless – showing that they are at high risk of illicit drug use, developing sexually transmitted infections (STIs), unwanted pregnancies, depression, suicide attempts and sexual exploitation. [8] A greater proportion of runaway adolescents suffer from clinically significant post-traumatic stress disorder than normative adolescents.
