Ring the bell for Sound of Freedom

Clapping. Crying, Praying. Praising.

These are some of the reactions movie-goers had to “Sound of Freedom,” a film based on the true story of Tim Ballard – former US Homeland Security Special Agent – who quit his job to pursue child traffickers.

“Sound of Freedom” avoids salacious and graphical overtones in telling Ballard’s story of rescuing a young girl from sex traffickers in the Colombian jungle.

According to thousands of reactions on Twitter, the sobering film evokes deep sadness and desperate terror, as well as indignant anger and resolute commitment regarding this global crisis.

Too numerous to mention are the global media attempts to discredit every aspect of the movie, including the literal character assassination of Jim Caviezel, who portrayed Ballard and is best known for his lead in the movie “The Passion of the Christ.” Perhaps this response could be the impetus behind Caviezel’s comment in a revealing and tearful pre-release interview that child trafficking is “an elite problem.”

In the interview, the film’s producer, Alejandro Gómez Monteverde, said the US is the number one consumer of child sex and Mexico is the number one provider, adding that 60 percent of child porn is produced in Mexico.

Caviezel said the movie wrapped five years ago and faced refusals from Netflix, Amazon Prime and other outlets until Monteverde launched a crowd funding effort. At this printing, the film has recouped well beyond its $15 million budget.

According the US Department of Homeland Security, child trafficking victimizes girls and boys primarily for forced labor and sexual exploitation. Girls account for two-thirds of child victims. The children are held in slave-like conditions without enough food, shelter or clothing, and are often severely abused and cut off from all contact with their families. Every country in the world is affected by human trafficking.

Ballard founded Operation Underground Railroad, whose mission is to rescue children and bring traffickers to justice.

What can you do about child trafficking? First of all, raise your awareness, pray, and put feet to your prayers. See this website for numerous critical resources. Support the movie or purchase tickets online so others can see it for free.

“Sound of Freedom” opened in 2,600 theaters on July 4 and has garnered resounding reviews on Rotten Tomatoes and CinemaScore. See Movie Guide for complete details of Sound of Freedom’s content.

Of note is the response of Jesus to his disciples when they tried to shoo away children. For such is the kingdom of God.

If you see something, do something.

Contact Norm Miller at nmiller@montanacc.edu