Sound of Freedom

Most recently in the United States, a movie based on a true story about Tim Ballard, a former government agent who embarks on a mission to save children from sex traffickers, has been fighting to establish greater awareness for people across the world to step up and take a stand. Hundreds of people are trapped in this dark and horrific situation – a criminal enterprise that is said to be the second most profitable illegal industry in the United States, second only to the drug trade.

There is an estimated 49.6 million people in human trafficking, wherein 27.6 million are in forced labor or sex trafficking and, of the millions of people being trafficked, 35 percent are children. Sex trafficking is reported to be the most common type of trafficking in the United States and in 2021, 72 percent of trafficking situations were sexual exploitations. This issue, which is also known as modern slavery, earns traffickers at least $150 billion annually, reporting it to be one of the most profitable crimes in the world.

As of January this year, the rate of human trafficking victims in the countries of the world figure at 9.6 percent in low income countries, 7.8 percent in lower-middle income countries and 5.9 percent in high income countries.

Poverty is one of the major factors that contribute to individuals who are vulnerable to trafficking and as we know (and should know), criminals take advantage of these factors by offering them false opportunities under the guise of a better life. In the Philippines, the most common example of human trafficking is found in the recruitment of people for false job placements and many are lured to leave the country only to find themselves forced into sexual exploitation and financial abuse in their country of destination. In the case of Filipino children, as of 2020, a study showed that one out of three internet users was a child, with social media becoming more likely to influence victims in the recruitment process.

Back in the US, the “Sound of Freedom” surprised the box office, raking in over $180 million since its release in July and Americans were going out of their way to see the film despite the alleged “mishaps” during its screening time, with movie theaters shutting down their air conditioning systems. It was then immediately labeled as “the movie they didn’t want you to see,” yet more and more people were watching the film.

Jim Caviezel, who plays the role of Ballard, describes this film as a movie about children who are trapped in a world that no one wants to look at and that the only way we are going to help them is if we have the courage to once and for all LOOK and help them tell their story. The “Passion of the Christ” star also said that the vast majority of people don’t do anything about child trafficking, mostly because they don’t know what to do.

Fortunately, TBA Studios has recently announced the screening of the “Sound of Freedom” in Philippine cinemas by Sept. 20, 2023 and it is my hope that we take the time to watch this film and spread awareness on the issue of child trafficking that is said to soon surpass the illegal drug trade. A bag of cocaine is sold one time but a child is said to be sold five to 10 times a day.

Many of us may not know what to do about this issue, but I am almost certain that this film will encourage us to take the steps in our pursuit against child trafficking because, and as the star of this movie says, God’s children are not for sale.