Before we dive into the meat and potatoes of this article, I ask that we take a moment to think. What are some issues you are facing in your life? Maybe you’re stressed about finances. Or a loved one is going through a tough time right now. Your life or even your relationship may not be turning out as you imagined. What about being accepted as the person you believe you are? It can be an issue that directly and indirectly impacts you…
***think think think***
Got it? Cool.
So did you know that as of 2021, there are more than 50 million slaves worldwide?
Check the facts with the International Labour Organization. That is MORE than the population of the most populous state-California. For context, according to the Library of Congress and Statista, 3.9 million slaves were in the United States from 1790-1865.
For the record, I am NOT justifying American slavery to the rest of the world. My goal is to put these numbers in perspective for you.
There are more slaves today than ever in any recorded time in history.
There are many great movies I look forward to seeing this summer-and the most recent film I hit the cinema to see was Sound of Freedom. At this point, most of us know what this is about already. For those who don’t here is an abstract: Two children-a brother and sister fall into the hands of sex traffickers as the father is falsely promised that his children will have a chance at stardom. Tim Ballard, an FBI agent in the fight against child sex slavery becomes fixated on the case and vows to reunite the family. (That’s as far as I’ll go so I don’t spoil TOO MUCH.) But what I CAN spoil for you is that this is based on a TRUE STORY-and this sends an extremely powerful message to America-let alone the world on this humanitarian crisis at hand.
I left the theatre crying. Feelings of surprise, sadness, and gratitude flowed through me. Grateful that I live in a safe, first-world country where freedom is not taken for granted. But angry that child sex trafficking/slavery is still operational today. Regardless of where you are on the political spectrum, I can confidently say that the Left and Right agree that this epidemic needs to end.
The message was extremely powerful and put the spotlight on an issue that is right beneath our noses. Yes, we may have corrupt politicians, controversial culture issues, personal relationship issues, or career issues. Every person on this earth has a battle they are fighting and some are far greater than others. But this battle may trump almost all of them.
At the end of the film, there is a special message from the actor and director of the movie, Jim Caviezel. He reiterates some of the statistics I mentioned earlier in this post, but also brings attention to the actual making of this film. It was actually shot five years ago but took much longer to complete due to technical difficulties throughout production. There also was a small budget for the film, and as a result, there wasn’t a lot of marketing deployed leading up to the release date. As of today, the film has over $100 million at the box office. Social media is blowing up with awareness, encouragement to see the film, “paying it forward” and buying tickets for those who cannot afford it, etc. Sound of Freedom is on track to be one of the most powerful films of the century.
The slavery we may know in America is long gone. But child sex slavery is ALIVE-AND HAPPENING IN PLAIN SIGHT. I encourage you to see the film-but I warn you it is heavy, intense, and not for kids.
Tx3
