Six degrees of separation between you and missing child

Child Focus, the non-profit representing Belgium’s missing and exploited children, has launched a new campaign showing that the six degrees of separation idea links everyone to a missing child. The point, said the organisation, is that “missing children are closer to you than you may think”.

The campaign is timed to coincide with International Missing Children’s Day on 25 May. Five people are featured in a campaign video who all have a link with the same missing child.

Gevriye Cavas was five years old when he disappeared from Molenbeek in Brussels in 1985. He was walking from his home to a nearby corner where his brother and friends were kicking a ball around. He has never been seen since.

Gevriye’s family have never given up hope. His case is used as an example in the campaign film. Child Focus linked five strangers to Gevriye through one specific acquaintance.

“When the participants were invited to take part, we didn’t tell them what it was about,” said Dirk Depover of Child Focus. “Prior to the experiment, they all said they were reluctant to share missing persons notices. But afterwards, they changed their view.”

The Brussels-based organisation also carried out a similar experiment with well-known people, including prime minister Charles Michel and Red Devils goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois. The point of the campaign is to encourage people to share alerts from Child Focus on social media, even if they do not know the child personally.

In 2016, said Depover, Facebook had 1.6 billion active users worldwide, and the average distance between any two was not six degrees, but 3.57.

Film still courtesy Child Focus