VML takes the emergency exit for Child Focus

On 25 May, the International Day of Missing Children, VML Belgium and Child Focus joined forces for a striking activation in the heart of Brussels. On the Mont des Arts, five front doors appeared, each topped with an emergency exit sign — a powerful symbol of an alarming reality: every day, an average of five children run away from home or from the care home where they live.
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Not an adventure. Not a choice.
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​Children and young people who run away rarely do so for the thrill of it. They do it because they see no other way out. The reasons vary widely: family conflict, bullying at school, mental health issues or domestic violence can all play a role. With the Runaway Signs installation, Child Focus and VML made their silent cry for help visible. The five doors symbolised those five children a day who see their own front door as an emergency exit.
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​Behind each door was a real-life testimony from someone who had lived through it. Visitors could listen to these accounts on site. The stories remain accessible via runawaysigns.be, the campaign website offering parents, young people and professionals concrete guidance, and one clear message: running away cannot be the only way out.

Starting the conversation
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​The installation opened up the conversation. On the day of the activation itself, the topic was picked up by virtually all mainstream Belgian media. The campaign was also discussed at length on De Tafel van Gert on Play, with Jef Neve as a guest.

Over the coming two weeks, the message will be further amplified through social media, online advertising and digital out-of-home. Child Focus hopes to encourage everyone who works with or cares for young people to stay attuned to their needs and to start the conversation, before running away becomes their only way out.

"Young people don't just run away; they look for a way out. It is also, and above all, a signal that they need help. They no longer see any other option and are usually in an extremely vulnerable situation. That is why we are reframing running away for what it truly is: an emergency exit."
​Nel Broothaerts, CEO Child Focus

CREDITS

Client: Child Focus
​Client Contact: Stéphanie Leyn, Selyna Ayuso Ferrandiz, Tom Moons
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​Agency: VML Belgium
​Executive Creative Directors: Kasper Janssens & Arjen Tarras ​
​Creation: Noa Luiten, Fleur Delanghe
​Copywriters: Sarah Huysmans, Tomas Van Loon, Yves Donceel
​Art Director: Jasper Verleije
​Account Team: Pieter Van Schil, Renée Baeten, Lotte Munnik, Marieke Meersschaert
​Strategy: Jef Pelkmans, Nina Mihailovic
​Design: Gilles Valkenborg, Joris Hechtermans
​Development: Bram Verdyck, Sam Serrien
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​Production Company: VML Production
​Agency Producer: Thomas Antoni
​Editor: Andreas De Ridder ​
​Sound Engineer: Menno Van Riet ​
​Director/DOP: Bas Van Hoof
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