The Suicide Prevention Centre (CPS) will mark World Suicide Prevention Day on 10 September with a series of awareness initiatives in Brussels and across French-speaking municipalities.
As in previous years, Brussels City Hall will be lit up in blue, the CPS’s colour.
The centre has also distributed blue wristbands to French-speaking municipalities and invited them to share CPS support resources for the occasion.
According to Belgium's national health institute Sciensano, 10% of the surveyed population said in a November 2023 survey that they had experienced suicidal thoughts during the previous year.
Sciensano recorded 1,762 suicide deaths in Belgium in 2022, equivalent to around 14 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants – which is 40% higher than the EU average.
Awareness campaign
French actress Armelle is the patron of the 2026 edition of the campaign. She has lent her voice to four short videos being shared on social media as part of the CPS awareness drive.
The videos highlight four aspects of the centre’s work: its listening helpline, bereavement support after suicide, interventions for communities following a suicide attempt, and its appeal for donations.
The CPS is also partnering with Saint-Luc University Clinics for World Suicide Prevention Day.
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An information and awareness stand will be open there on Thursday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. A conference for healthcare professionals on identifying and supporting people in suicidal crisis will also be held on Thursday afternoon.
Last year, 90 CPS volunteer listeners answered 25,000 distress calls on 0800 32 123. According to CPS director Dominique Nothomb, calls from young people to the helpline have risen by 15% since 2020.
“Some callers are children as young as 10,” Nothomb said. “That should be a warning to society as a whole.”
The centre also carried out more than 3,000 psychological consultations, including for 210 new patients.
It trained more than 3,200 people through 550 hours of training and awareness sessions, while its website, www.preventionsuicide.be, received more than 800,000 visits.
Those in need of a listening ear or with any questions about suicide can contact the Suicide Line anonymously on the toll-free number 1813.
02 648 40 14 (English)
0800 32 123 (French)
www.zelfmoord1813.be (Dutch)
