CALIFORNIA, Md. – Currently in theaters is a powerful film about the real-life story of a man, Tim Ballard, a homeland security agent who quit his job to travel to Colombia to save children from human trafficking. With haunting images of footage from his operations, and in contrast images of children being stolen from the streets, it brings a huge message.
No one wants to talk about children being sold into sex slavery. It’s ugly, scary and any parent’s worst nightmare. But it’s happening. Now. It’s the fastest growing industry – it outnumbers drugs and technology – with an estimated 2 million plus human beings being held against their will (mostly children) to be sold over and over and over. And we need to talk about it.
In Maryland alone, there are approximately 200 missing persons and growing. (As of 2022 statistics) [1]
In the film Sound of Freedom, the quote “God’s children are not for sale,” is used often. Our children, no children are for sale. There are more people enslaved today than when slavery was legal. So, what do we do?
We educate ourselves. There are so many resources available to guide parents and children to avoid this growing problem.
We stand up. We say no more. We speak up for the innocent lives and pay attention. We support the people who fight to take down pedophiles. We support those giving their all to find these missing children. We do not ignore Amber Alerts. We talk to each other and come together as a community.
Look at the news. TheBayNet has reported numerous missing children in just the last week in the tri-county area. Do you scroll past? Look at them. Look at their faces. Keep them in mind and keep your eye out. What if it were your child?
There is hope. There is a light. We can be the change that needs to happen. When we unite and defend our schools and streets by knowing where registered sex offenders live and work. When we trust our gut when someone doesn’t seem right. When we believe victims and move to help them.
If you see something, say something. Call 911 immediately.
For more information call the National Human Trafficking Hotline – 24/7 Confidential: 1-888-373-7888 or go to https://goccp.maryland.gov/victim-services/human-trafficking. You can also visit https://www.missingkids.org.
For more on the movie, Sound of Freedom, visit: https://www.angel.com
[1] https://worldpopulationreview.com/state-rankings/missing-persons-by-state
Contact our news desk at news@thebaynet.com