Incidence of 'Runaways' and 'Thrownaways'

Prevalence of runaways

• Between 1.6 and 2.8 million youth run away in a year.

• Youth aged 12-17 are at higher risk for homelessness than adults.

Motivations for running away

• 47% of runaway / homeless youth indicated that conflict between them and their parent or guardian was a major problem. 

• Over 50% of youth in shelters and on the streets reported that their parents either told them to leave or knew they were leaving but did not care.

• 80% of runaway and homeless girls reported having ever been sexually or physically abused. 34% of runaway youth (girls and boys) reported sexual abuse before leaving home and forty-three percent of runaway youth (girls and boys) reported physical abuse before leaving home.  

• Childhood abuse increases youths' risk for later victimization on the street. Physical abuse is associated with elevated risk of assaults for runaway and homeless youth, while sexual abuse is associated with higher risk of rape for runaway and homeless youth. 

Most runaways or thrownaways do not qualify as missing children because they either go to the homes of friends or relatives or to shelters or social service agencies whose locations are well known to their caretakers or because, particularly in the case of thrownaways, the whereabouts of the child is unknown, but the caretaker is not concerned. This lack of concern explains why only 37% of the runaway or thrownaway children were missing in 1999, but only 21% were reported missing to law enforcement. Even so, runaways or thrownaways constitute the largest component of children reported missing to authorities, accounting for almost half (45%) of all children reported missing and dwarfing the numbers who are reported missing because they are abducted, lost, or injured.

Amount of time Thrownaways expend outside their houses

Providing an overview of runaway and homeless youth, the National Conference of State Legislatures13 reported in 2010: 

• One in seven young people between the ages of 10 and 18 will run 

away.

• Youth age 12 to 17 are more at risk of homelessness than adults.

• 75% of runaways are female.

• Estimates of the number of pregnant homeless girls are between 6 

and 22%; 

• Between 20 and 40% of homeless youth identify as gay, lesbian, 

bisexual, transgender or questioning (GLBTQ)

• 46% of runaway and homeless youth reported being physically 

abused, 38% reported being emotionally abused, and 17% reported 

being forced into unwanted sexual activity by a family or household 

member. 

• 75% of homeless or runaway youth have dropped out or will drop 

out of school.

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

• Hammer, H., Finkelhor, D., & Sedlak, A. (2002). Runaway / Thrownaway Children: National Estimates and Characteristics. National Incidence Studies of Missing, Abducted, Runaway, and Thrownaway Children. Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. Recovered in: May 10th, 2015. Available in:  http://www.1800runaway.org/learn/research/third_party/#sthash.KOwMdYP8.dpuf

• Greene, J. Sánchez, R. Harris, J. Cignetti, C. (2003). Incidence and Prevalence of Homeless and Runaway Youth. Recovered in: May 10th 2015. Available in: http://www.mainecourtimprovement.org/files/mnu_menu_43.pdf

• U.S. Department of Justice. Hammer H, Finkelhor D, Sedlak AJ. Runaway/thrownaway children: national estimates and characteristics. National Incident Studies of Missing, Abducted, Runaway, and Thrownaway Children. 2002. Accessed: May 10th, 2015. Available at: http://www.ncjrs.org/pdffiles1/ojjdp/196469.pdf.