Dottie on the "Sound of Freedom"
If we cannot protect children from sex predators, then we have no future. The film kept reinforcing that all children are as special as Ballard’s children and my children and your children.
I went to the theater on opening night July 4th Independence Day to see the movie the Sound of Freedom with Jim Caviezel. I had reservations about seeing a movie about trafficking because it is something I live every day and I do not find it entertaining. When others tell the story sometimes it resonates deeply or sometimes it is really off and then that has a frustrating effect. So, the reason I chose to go to this movie is that so many people have been messaging me and talking about it and so much attention has been paid to it that I thought it was important I understand it.
I have had different experiences then Tim Ballard the man portrayed in the movie by Caviezel. Ballard, a former government agent quit his job to work outside the United States to rescue trafficked children. I have spent 20 years rescuing children and adult trafficking victims inside the United States. However, many of the themes of the movie were consistent with my experiences. I was encouraged when they showed the absolute pain that a parent goes through and how people somehow think well, they should be happy that they got one kid back and forget the other, so many times people say such cruel things to the parents of missing or trafficked children.
The film encouraged me to think that viewers may understand the parents better now. I also appreciated how the audience is drawn into the endless amounts of excuses there are from authorities and adults who could help that turn the other way. This is something that no adult has a pass to look away from. If we cannot protect children from sex predators, then we have no future. The film kept reinforcing that all children are as special as Ballard’s children and my children and your children. No child that is more or less worthy in this world and I do think the movie did an excellent job of reminding the viewers of this.
I have kept going for so long by remembering that every parent that calls me, every person that needs my help, my special set of skills, has someone they love as much as I love my children. That each child is loved by God and is just as precious as the children that we are responsible for raising. That makes us responsible for all of them so my hats off to the movie for making sure that message was clear. In my experience rescuing victims in the United States, most of the victims I have assisted have been groomed or lured. The film does show a scene about luring and how it is so easy to groom a parent. They think they are doing the right thing for their kid and trust a smiling face. Making the child and parent think they have something special that some new person is interested in and sadly rather than kidnapping this is the way trafficking usually begins. It is initiates by someone you let into your life unknowingly. Sadly, the victim does not know until it is too late.
I believe the storytellers of the movie did their best to make it able to be consumed by an audience. I would call it a G version of trafficking even though it is rated PG- 13. They had to make it so that the audience gets some relief but no matter how difficult it is to rescue the victims, which is 20% of the effort, 80% comes after you find them. Two to five years before the family and the victim feel some relief. The family will suffer even more when the victims return. They will endure trying to keep the child from being re-trafficked. They will need several modalities of healing the absolute crushing and devastating soul injuries that the child has experienced. They will never get back to where they were before this happened.
They are forever altered and that is why it was satisfying in the film to see the adult predators receive justice. They are not human. They do not deserve any tolerance in our society. Anyone that would have sex with children or sell children for sex does not belong in our society.
I hope people walk away disturbed by this movie and take actions to say that we can no longer tolerate this in a civilized society. Children everywhere should be safe from adults, and they should not be a commodity for sex. Not once! Not ever!!
There is a study from the University of Texas states there are 313,000 trafficking victims in Texas, 79,000 of them are children. I would say these are tip of the iceberg numbers but at least something to start some comprehension. It is all our responsibility so how can you help? What can you do?
There is a link for the movie that you can share with other people, buy a ticket for them, and get them into the theater so they can go and understand what we are up against. We have a program that educates community it helps children and parents to understand their warning signs in the movie. If that father in the movie just had a little information, it could have turned out differently, but he did not know, and no one told him.
So, I urge small town communities to look at our Protect Our Communities program have me out to speak. Let me arm parents with 55 Things Parents and Grandparents Should Know. Let me arm the children with 8 Tips for Teens, so they are not so easily duped. They need support so they are critically aware of anyone that is making them crazy and what their motivation might me. We need to prepare them for this cruel world that awaits them at any moment they are out of their parents’ sight. Let me know your thoughts and ideas. We have some great laws they just need to be used more often.
And another one-
https://www.tpr.org/criminal-justice/2023-01-23/a-mothers-anguish-as-accused-sex-traffickers-see-no-jail-time-in-bexar-county-case
Really great perspective Dottie. We are excited to see it, and glad it sheds light into a dark place but I'll be glad knowing where the movie falls short. Your feedback is one of the few opinions I know I can appreciate, so thanks for taking the time.