The Sound of Freedom

It was controversial. That was the first thing I read when googling the movie my brother recommended. Surprising since it was a movie about child sex trafficking. I would have thought most people agree on this issue. Sex trafficking’s wrong. Rescue the children. Put the perverts in prison. What’s controversial about that?

Turns out, the main criticism of The Sound of Freedom is that one of the groups praising the movie also supports Trump.

Since when do we choose movies based on the political views of other people in the theatre? I’ve never even attended a church where everyone agreed on all theological points.

One critic claimed the movie simplifies the issue. I’ve noticed that’s usually a criticism lobbied by someone who either is doing nothing and wants to continue doing nothing or who believes his/her response is the only valid solution.

The Sound of Freedom is the personal story of Tim Ballard, a Special Agent with Homeland Security who wanted to do more than put the abusers in jail. Originally, he had a goal of rescuing just one child.

This is a powerful movie that forces you to think and feel. But that’s not enough. The value of The Sound of Freedom comes if it moves you to action. Child sex trafficking is so horrendous most of us want to avoid it entirely and often assume this is an issue we can’t do anything about.

You probably can’t fly to Columbia to rescue a child but you can:

1. Educate yourself. Go see the movie. Research child-trafficking. Google it. Trafficking crimes involving pedophilia are on the rise because as Tim Ballard says in the movie, “You can sell a bag of cocaine one time. But a child, the most precious child, you can sell a five-year-old kid 5 to 10 times a day for 10 years straight.”

2. Start conversations. You don’t have to be an expert on the subject to raise awareness. Ask your friends, “Did you know Human trafficking is a $150 billion-per-year business, more than the NFL, NBA, MLB and NHL combined? It makes more money than the illegal arms trade.”

3. If starting a conversation is uncomfortable for you, take a friend to see the movie or offer to pay for a relative’s ticket. Another option is to buy a “God’s Children are Not for Sale” T-shirt and wait for people to ask you about it.

4. Keep an eye out for victims wherever you go. The U.S. is one of the largest consumers of child sex. Odds are you have walked past a child being sex trafficked. The FBI has recovered trafficking victims as young as three months old. The average age is twelve.

5. The signal for help is performed by holding your hand up with your thumb tucked into your palm, then folding your fingers down, symbolically trapping your thumb in your fingers. If you see someone giving that signal, try to speak to them privately to ask if they need help. If that’s not possible, discreetly snap a photo with your phone and memorize as many details as you can. Let the authorities know what you saw.

6. Teach this sign to your own children and grands. A young girl in Kentucky was rescued after signaling the driver of a passing car. Your child does not have to be in the wrong place or doing the wrong thing to be a target for traffickers!

7. Always listen for the deeper meaning behind a child’s words. At school, at church, in the family, if a child says someone is mean, don’t brush the comments aside. Respond with open-ended questions. “How is he (or she) mean to you?” That will help you discover if a parent insisted the child make her bed or if there are signs of abuse.

8. Consider donating to support rescue work. Bob Goff’s organization, Love Does, https://lovedoes.org/ is one option. (This organization is not connected to the movie.) There are many other options as well.

It is easier to avoid this subject, but I know how I would respond if one of my family members was taken. I would move Heaven and Hell to get them back, and I would expect you to help me.

I encourage you to see The Sound of Freedom. Child Trafficking may not be your primary focus, but you can do something. What if you are a link in a chain of events to rescue one child?

Note:  Although the movie does not contain any scenes graphically depicting sexual abuse, the movie is very intense. Not recommended for children, and I would be cautious about taking someone who has been abused.