The recently released movie that's taken the world by storm, the "Sound of Freedom" raked in an astounding $50 million to date. But what if I told you this film, with its American hero rescuing innocent children from far off lands, isn't painting the full picture of human trafficking? Join me as I navigate the complex narrative of this controversial movie, challenging the distorted image it portrays of human trafficking.
While the film is certainly compelling, there are serious misrepresentations to dissect. Not all customers who buy victims are dirty and sweaty or wealthy beyond measure, some hide in plain sight, in legitimate jobs and occupy everyday positions of trust. And while the protagonist's heroics are commendable, the reality of human trafficking is unfortunately more complex and requires more complex solutions.
The recently released movie that's taken the world by storm, the "Sound of Freedom" raked in an astounding $50 million to date. But what if I told you this film, with its American hero rescuing innocent children from far off lands, isn't painting the full picture of human trafficking? Join me as I navigate the complex narrative of this controversial movie, challenging the distorted image it portrays of human trafficking.
While the film is certainly compelling, there are serious misrepresentations to dissect. Not all customers who buy victims are dirty and sweaty or wealthy beyond measure, some hide in plain sight, in legitimate jobs and occupy everyday positions of trust. And while the protagonist's heroics are commendable, the reality of human trafficking is unfortunately more complex and requires more complex solutions.
You know the why human trafficking work is needed To fight for the freedom of modern day slaves. But love, passion, commitment isn't all you need to be an effective and successful anti-trafficking advocate. Learn the how. I'm Dr Celia Williamson, director of the Human Trafficking and Social Justice Institute at the University of Toledo. Welcome to the Emancipation Nation podcast, where I'll provide you with the latest and best methods, policy and practice discussed by experienced experts in the field, so that you can cut through the noise, save time and be about the work of saving lives. Welcome to the Emancipation Nation Episode 185. I'm Dr Celia Williamson and this week I'm solo.
Speaker 1:So you know, I saw Sound of Freedom movie a couple weekends ago and not because I wanted to, but because I needed to. I had been getting text messages and emails from people asking me to do a podcast on this movie. So I had to see the movie so that I would know what it's about and sort of lend my thoughts to it. So I have to say up front that this movie really upsets me because you know, I know and you know how Hollywood can distort something, how they can romanticize it, such as Pretty Woman, or how they can eroticize it, such as, you know Debbie does Dallas and how they can distort it, like the movie Taken, and I know you know how the news media distorts and sensationalizes the issue and how social media screws people's heads on wrong about the issue, and so we need to talk about this movie Again. Let me show my hand up front and say that I agree with some of the critics out there. So let me tell you about the movie, but not a spoiler alert. I'm not going to tell you the details of the movie in case you want to see it for yourself. But the movie focuses on Tim Ballard, who used to work for Homeland Security, who left to form an organization called Operation Underground Railroad. Okay, this is an organization that travels to other countries, rescues children who are victims of sex trafficking. So that's the setup, and this Operation Underground Railroad organization has been a controversial group really all along. I actually did a podcast with somebody from the group and I just removed the podcast after receiving several complaints from listeners and that had some unflattering thoughts about this group.
Speaker 1:But anyway, this movie is really the American story we love to tell. And here's the American story American white guy saves the day. That's the American fantasy. We love that story, we tell it over and over again, and I know, I know we don't like to talk about things like that, but it's the fictional tale we love. We told that story and taken, you know, liam Neeson saves the day, if you remember, taken one.
Speaker 1:Liam Neeson's daughter leaves the country to be trafficked. Of course, we know that the US is one of the largest purchasers of sexual services in the world. So, actually to leave the country, it seems like the probability goes down that you would be trafficked. We ignore that, and she's trafficked on foreign land, of course, by those foreigners. And so Liam Neeson is the only one that can save the day. Not our government, not their government, only Liam. And he happens to know all there is to know about human trafficking too, and he tells his daughter when she's hiding under the bed, if you remember. He says they're going to take you. He tells her how long she has. Now, how does Liam know that? Well, he's an American man. That's how Liam knows all. So he goes in the countries, he breaks laws, he kicks ass, he saves lives and at the end of the movie, the daughter that he rescues hasn't suffered any trauma a core issue of victims, of course. But no, no, she goes on to think about her career and what she'd like to do next in life. You know the end.
Speaker 1:You finish your popcorn. You're satisfied that people like Liam Neeson are on the case, there to break laws to get the job done. And you ever think about those cop shows you watch? Ever noticed that, how they have to break laws that we have in place in order to get the job done? Think about it. Think about every cop show you've ever watched, at least the ones you like and they get the perp you know the perp locked inside the interrogation room where they violate his rights, beat him up, threaten to shoot him, whatever it takes, because, after all, they have to break the law in order to do their job. That's the underlying theme. They beat, burn, punch, kick, threaten, abuse, exploit whatever dirty deed they can do in order to get the job done. And we say, yes, good job breaking the law, go ahead, make my day.
Speaker 1:Clint Eastwood, or AKA dirty Harry, said he followed the law, but boy, did he want that guy to step out of line so that he could shoot him, kill him in broad daylight, commit justifiable murder? These stories tell the viewer that the laws we have in place just aren't good enough. We have to get down in the dirt with this scum and America says, well, that seems right. And then we wonder why some people get shot, some people of color perhaps. Anyway, I digress, getting back.
Speaker 1:So the sound of silence has this similar underlying premise, and it's that we can't get the job done following the laws we have in place. Tim Ballard has to go into another country to rescue children because the existing resources just won't work and I'm with them to a certain extent because children are being abused and exploited and there aren't laws strong enough and there aren't enough resources and perhaps even a strong enough will from governments to stop this. So to stop this in the US. I cried in the movie because children were being abused and I wanted those children to be rescued and I wanted those traffickers to pay.
Speaker 1:I just wish, at the end of the movie, when the character that played Tim Ballard came out to speak and yes, he comes out after the movie to speak to the audience that he would have said that this is one form of trafficking, but certainly not the only form and certainly not the majority of trafficking around the world. I wish he would have said that the majority of sex trafficking victims aren't five or ten years old, as displayed in the film, that they're more likely to be teens or even adults. And I wish he would have said that all sex traffickers are all sex trafficking buyers aren't pedophiles pedophile meaning people that prefer children, pre-probessant children that they are also people that live in your neighborhood and purchasers are bankers and lawyers and pastors. And I know he wouldn't have said that we can rescue children all we want, but until we put policies and adequate resources in place and until we deal with and change the paradigm and the structure of first world countries, such as the US's insatiable desire for these women and children, unfortunately it will continue.
Speaker 2:I want to interrupt the podcast to tell you about the International Human Trafficking and Social Justice Conference, which is the largest and oldest academic conference on human trafficking in the world. Join us for our 20th annual conference, hosted virtually this year on September 20th through the 22nd. You'll have the opportunity to learn from and collaborate with thousands of advocates, researchers, providers and survivors from all over the world. You don't want to miss it. Find out more and register today on our website, traffickingconferencecom. Now back to the podcast.
Speaker 1:Again, I wish you would have mentioned that it's not only these perverts that go into countries to pay for five and 10-year-old children, but the majority of the purchasers of sex trafficking victims are those in legitimate jobs. They aren't all sweaty and overweight and dirty as portrayed in the movie. They go to work in law offices every day. They put on a police uniform, a medical coat, a robe in preparation for court. They're city workers. They put on their city vests and so on.
Speaker 1:The problem with this movie is not only that once again in our fictional love story that the American white guy saves the day, or even that victims are five and 10 years old, or that we mislead the public to understand that people leave the country to buy victims, is that the actual salary of the Operation Underground Railroad, tim Ballard, was over a half million dollars per year, and the previous president of Operation Underground Railroad, brad Damon, according to the company's tax filings, also made over a half million dollars a year. Now you might say that the job that he's doing or they're doing is worth that level of pay, and I believe you and I support that. I think it is, and I also think that the job you're doing today is also worth that level of pay. You often risk your life in some of the jobs you do. You also save lives. The movie also magically, or rather strategically, plays into the idea of the story of Jeffrey Epstein's Island, where he would invite wealthy people to abuse vulnerable women. Again, I'm not going to tell you about the movie in case you'd like to see it, but there's that theme running through it.
Speaker 1:So, look, movies are largely made to entertain the sound of freedom. Producers and cast admit that the sound of freedom is a heavily fictionized movie, but for us it really feeds into the idea that children are snatched and that we need to go in and get them. And after we rescue them, well, we really don't know what will happen, but we did our part. So has this multi-million dollar movie shifted the narrative? I would say it's more like snatch the narrative and we'll have people believing what we continue to fight against that trafficking happens over there, that it's mostly little kids and that the customers are nasty, dirty-looking pedophiles. Look, the movie has already brought in 50 million dollars, according to a publication motherboard. Even before the release of the movie, they were working with religious organizations and churches across the US to get them to buy tickets and attend the movie.
Speaker 1:But, as we know, the sound of freedom rings out across the US every day and around the world every day. So let me share with you the many ways that the sound of freedom rings out. It rings out when you have worked to ensure that a child you work with can fall asleep at night without fear of being raped again or forced to work. Those of you that have done that have heard the sound of freedom. It's a smile, it's a laugh, it's a sigh of relief, it's a feeling of safety. Those of you who have helped foreign survivors feel at home in our country and in the world and found housing for them and a lawyer for them and helped them connect to the services they need, you already know the sound of freedom. The sound of freedom rings out when some of you have made sure that laws were passed to protect vulnerable people. In fact, dr Vanessa Boucher did a study of the legislator across the US. Her findings were that the more women you have in the state legislator legislature yes the more comprehensive anti-trafficking laws are passed. Do you know that the majority of people working in the anti-trafficking field and doing the jobs are women? As we quietly toil away like we do. We also worked on civil rights movements. We worked on women's rights movements and we held key positions in those movements. In fact, women white women are responsible for the development of the whole social work profession that helps millions around the world.
Speaker 1:But you won't read about these things because we don't control the narrative on who is celebrated in our history books and in our news media outlets and in our movies. The sound of freedom is rung every time a survivor finds the courage to testify against her trafficker. The courage and the bravery of victims goes to them for having survived their ordeal, but there isn't a press conference where they're speaking, a medal-given or a Hollywood blockbuster movie made about them. You can hear the sound of freedom whenever anybody helps any victim feel loved and wanted without having to give up their dignity. Freedom is rung every time a survivor shares their experience to enlighten an audience who was previously naive. Freedom is internally heard when a teen decides to dream about her future Instead a fall prey to the pressures of a society that tells her that her body is what's important in pleasing the men and trumps everything else. We experience the sounds of freedom when a trafficking victim has the courage to heal from their trauma. The sound of freedom happens when a man that was beaten and forced to work regains his freedom to feel like a man again, when policymakers change laws, when we educate the community to identify victims and systems respond effectively. Freedom can be heard and seen around the world the programs that engage in street outreach, that provide case management, care, coordination, peer advocacy let's freedom ring. We can hear it when a drug addicted survivor puts down the need on deals with her past. We can hear it when programs alter their policies and practices to become trauma informed and when faith-based communities learn about the various forms of trafficking. Hear and abroad and supports those programs within the US and within other countries. These are all the ways we hear the sound of freedom.
Speaker 1:Operation Underground Railroad admitted that once rescued they really didn't have anything or any place. They didn't know what to do. They now say that they have some services in place. I really would like to know how many kids they rescued without services in place, when back into prostitution or struggled with unresolved trauma. But that really doesn't make for a great movie. I, as a moviegoer, joe Blow, don't really want to know. I just want to be entertained. What I want to do is watch a heart-wrenching movie, wipe my tears, finish my popcorn and go home feeling sad that that happens but happy that someone is on the case. I want the luxury of not worrying about how we can prevent this or what we can do to help victims heal, or even how we can equip those countries that need help to implement the knowledge and the programs we have. That doesn't make for a good movie. Now better to put their minds at ease and let them know the black and white version, the good versus evil version, and wrap it all up in 137 minutes. So let me tell you a story, another reason why I think this movie is so powerfully destructive to the movement.
Speaker 1:This is a story told by Steve Harvey, the television star. He said that he was with Denzel Washington, a motion picture actor, right when someone walks up to them and says, oh, thank you, mr Washington, for the wonderful movies you make. And Steve Harvey looked at him and said, wow, like I don't get those type of greetings. I get like, hey, steve, how you doing? But wow, you are revered with such respect. And he said, denzel Washington said to him let me explain something to you.
Speaker 1:When people see me, they have made plans. They have put on their clothes, they have taken a shower, they have paid money. They stood in line and bought their popcorn. It is an event, right. When people see you, you come right into their living room, into their home. They didn't prepare their half listening. When people see me, I go into the theater, I come up, you know, as the lights darken, I come up on a 30-foot screen. All they see is me and the scene. I have their undivided attention. I am sure he didn't, you know. Of course Denzel did not say it in a way that sounds arrogant or the way that I might be presenting it, but you see the difference.
Speaker 1:This movie grabs your undivided attention, with the unmatched sound quality from the speakers, with the dark theater, with the tall screen. Of course, you are captivated. It overwhelms your senses, your sight, your hearing, it pulls out your heartstrings, it makes you believe this is what trafficking is. And at the end of the movie, the actor who played Jesus, by the way, in the Passion of the Christ, the last movie that churchgoers were encouraged to attend, plays Tim Ballard. He comes on the screen and he asks you for money, essentially to pay it forward, to purchase tickets for someone else to be able to see this movie.
Speaker 1:And don't get me wrong, I'm happy they rescued those children. Like I said, I'm not sure how exactly it happened because again, they admitted it was some fictional accounts woven through the story. But this is a story about one type of trafficking pedophilia type of trafficking those who prefer prepubescent children for sex. No-transcript. We know that a trafficker is anybody who recruits, harbors, transport's Provider, obtains a person for the purposes of commercial sex and other forms of human trafficking, such as labor trafficking and organ trafficking. Tim Ballard recently stepped away from Operation Underground Railroad before the launch of the film. Matt Osborne is now the president and CEO according to LinkedIn, and has served as president since February of 2023. This is according to the publication Motherboard.
Speaker 1:But remember, rescuing children is but one way we support victims in their recovery. But if that's your only tool, then more vulnerable people will continue to be victimized. We need to do more than just rescue. If we don't collaborate, if we don't partner with others who truly know what they're doing, we'll continue to rescue, because there is an endless supply of vulnerable youth and adults waiting to be victimized.
Speaker 1:If you choose to support this organization, that's your choice. Rescuing even one child as they do is important, but I bet there is an organization in your community that is struggling to keep its doors open that is serving victims of human trafficking. I bet there are laws in your state that need to be passed. I bet there is a need to change the political will of the people and the legislature so that they will fund what is needed in your state, and I bet there is also other international organizations that don't have multi-million dollar movies made about them to support, in addition to Operation Underground Railroad. Until next time the fight continues, let's not just do something, let's do the best thing. If you like this episode of Emancipation Nation, please subscribe and I'll send you the weekly podcast. Until then, the fight continues.