Child Focus Warns of Surge in Repeat Runaways Among Teens
Child Focus, the Belgian foundation for missing and sexually exploited children, has raised the alarm over a sharp rise in young people running away from home multiple times. In 2025, the organization received 2,147 reports of children who had run away — a 19% increase compared to 2024 — with 349 children running away on multiple occasions, according to VRT NWS.
The 2,147 reports involved 1,514 unique children, underscoring a troubling pattern: many young people are fleeing repeatedly because the circumstances driving them away remain unresolved. Approximately 55% of reports involved girls, and the majority of runaways were between 13 and 15 years old. Child Focus now receives roughly five new reports every day of children who have left their homes or care facilities.
A Growing Crisis
This latest data continues a multi-year trend. In 2024, Child Focus opened 1,808 runaway cases — a 30% increase from 2023 — marking the third consecutive year of rising numbers. The broader caseload at Child Focus has doubled in three years, from 1,508 cases in 2022 to 3,020 in 2024, as previously reported.
Child Focus CEO Nel Broothaerts emphasized that running away is not a frivolous act. “Children run away because of school problems, (intra)familial reasons, etc. These are not whims,” she said in an interview on Radio 1’s De Ochtend. “Young people don’t just run away; they are looking for a way out. It is also, and above all, a signal that they need help.”
Broothaerts added: “They see no other way out and are usually in a very vulnerable situation. That’s why we are redefining running away for what it really is: an emergency exit.”
Why Children Are Running
Child Focus identifies several underlying factors driving the increase. These include rising mental pressure on young people, insufficient structured care options, growing complexity within the youth care system, family conflicts, school problems, and identity questions. The organization notes that it is receiving more calls from children struggling mentally and from parents concerned about their children’s psychological well-being.
Research from the RADAR project — a European initiative coordinated by Missing Children Europe with Child Focus as a partner — found that runaway children often face stigmatization from the very adults and professionals meant to support them. According to the Child Focus RADAR report, children who run away repeatedly are often wrongly perceived as having “problematic behavior” rather than being children in danger, increasing their risk of receiving inadequate support.
Running away is typically a symptom of one or more negative childhood experiences, most often violence or some form of abuse. The way a child is received upon return is crucial in determining whether they will run away again.
Vulnerability to Exploitation
The stakes are exceptionally high. Almost all cases of sexual exploitation of minors opened by Child Focus in 2024 were linked to running away. Half of the victims were under 15, and in three-quarters of cases, teenage pimps played a role. Runaway youth are extremely vulnerable to exploitation, as they often lack safe housing and trusted adults to turn to.
This connects to broader trends in Belgium: in 2025, a record number of children became victims of online sexual exploitation, with cases doubling from 401 in 2023 to 837 in 2025, as reported by VRT NWS.
A New Campaign to Reframe the Narrative
On the International Day of Missing Children (May 25), Child Focus launched a campaign to reframe how society understands running away. At the Kunstberg in central Brussels, the organization installed five symbolic front doors, each bearing an emergency exit sign above it — representing the five daily reports of runaway children the organization receives.
The campaign aims to encourage parents, teachers, caregivers, and social workers to recognize running away as a distress signal rather than a behavioral problem. Broothaerts offered practical advice for families: “Seek connection. Because of their loneliness, they see running away as the only solution. Don’t be angry because they ran away. Often children also don’t dare to come back out of fear. Listening helps a lot. Or find another trusted person together with them.”
What Comes Next
Child Focus is calling for better support systems, more structured care options, and a destigmatization of running away. The organization advocates for stronger implementation of the European Digital Services Act and a permanent Child Sexual Abuse regulation at the EU level.
For families in crisis, Child Focus operates a 24/7 hotline at 116 000 and can be reached via email at 116000@childfocus.org. The organization also promotes its “MAX” program, which encourages every child to identify a trusted adult — a “MAX” — they can turn to in times of difficulty.
As the numbers continue to climb, the question remains whether Belgium’s youth care system has the capacity to meet the growing demand. What is clear, Broothaerts said, is that “young people need appropriate help and support to cope with today’s challenges. They deserve attention for their well-being and active help when they are struggling.”