On July 4, 2023, "Sound of Freedom" was released in the US, and the buzz around that real story had already been put in motion weeks before that date... I watched it a few weeks ago and I can say that it affected me deeply. The topic of child trafficking is not something a lot of us can take lightly. It is upsetting, to say the least. This crime is taking advantage of human beings in the most horrible ways. It can affect both women and children. According to Interpol, human trafficking can entail:
- coerced labor, for mines, construction, or other industries;
- forced criminal activities, such as begging or the sale of counterfeit items;
- organ harvesting, taking advantage of the desperation of sick people waiting for a donor;
- and sexual exploitation.
All these schemes involve the funneling of a lot of funds that are closely linked to Money Laundering (ML). Most countries have systems in place to fight off such evil deeds and arrest the wrongdoers. However, while the controversies seem to give their attention to child kidnapping, some judging it excessively fictional while others scream of demonic conspiracies, it is necessary to point out that human trafficking generally involves family members, including parents or spouses, resorting to psychological manipulation and violence... I recently felt abhorred to find out that some folks in the Philippines were selling sex tapes of their young children with the excuse of having to feed large families. And I remembered that more than a decade ago, a woman had told the parish priest in Beirut that her unemployed husband requested she dated other men for material benefits to support the family financially. But let's get back to the movie review.
This story is the one of Tim Ballard, played by Jim Caviezel, a special agent with the HSI (Homeland Security Investigations) who is originally after pedophiles. Shortly before retiring, a colleague shares with him that even though they have been putting criminals behind bars, they never actually helped a single child. This statement makes Tim think and he takes it on to save children sold as sex slaves all the way to Colombia. Tim will then risk his life outside the US and without the backup from the institution he used to work at, jeopardizing his pension even, because "God's children are not for sale". What a powerful message! In a nutshell, some parts of the script were agonizingly long but the cast is good. And I would have enjoyed the soundtrack hadn't it been for the devastating narrative. The last minutes of the movie are excruciatingly poignant, especially with the look in Rocio's eyes... and the spectator is presented with numbers outlining what is considered to be one type of modern-day slavery.
"Sound of Freedom" is meant to shake each one of us out of our lethargy to become conscious and spread awareness on this crucial matter. It is time that we all open our eyes and realize that children are being "groomed", abused, and murdered all over the world, not only in the Americas, but equally in Europe, Africa, and Asia. And this is not only done by cartel drug lords in Mexico. Child trafficking takes place in foster homes, government and law enforcement institutions, in Washington, New York, and London, and for satanic rituals performed by royal families. It is even more disturbing when organizations like the UN state that "Children must have sexual partners" 🤦🏻♀️... what is really at stake is the preservation of youth and keeping it from harm. So share this, keep yourself informed, and try to help whenever you can. God bless you all!
