SOUND OF FREEDOM

If you’ve read my past few blogs, you had got know I was going to see the movie, Sound of Freedom. The movie is based on the real-life exploits of Tim Ballard, a former Homeland Security agent, who goes from arresting pedophiles to saving the young victims.

Jim Caviezel plays Tim Ballard, and he puts in a very good performance. I wondered how the movie would depict the situations involving the children, given the production company makes faith-based films. They did an awesome job depicting the scenes and letting the viewer know what was happening, without putting the child actors in uncompromising situations.

I figured I would be emotionally invested in this movies and I was right. There were times I was seething with anger, there were some light-hearted moments, and a somewhat satisfactory ending. I say somewhat, because you learn at the end that the number one destination for child sex trafficking is the United States. Yay us.

So here are some more press releases involving Crimes against Children:
–Benson teacher accused of child sex trafficking
–Texas sex offender charged with sex trafficking, allegedly enticed child victims through Snapchat
–Arizona high school teacher accused of child sex trafficking
–Former Kirkland, Washington resident sentenced to 13 years in prison for possessing images of child rape and abuse, and for plan to sexually assault a child
–Maitland Man Indicted For Distributing, Receiving, And Possessing Child Sexual Abuse Images And Videos Over The Internet
–Bryan resident sentenced for accumulating extensive collection of child pornography
–Ballwin Man Who Admitted Sex with Minors Sentenced to 9+ Years in Prison for Distributing Child Pornography
–Young adult guilty of producing child pornography
–Jacksonville Convicted Sex Offender Indicted For Committing Multiple Child Sexual Exploitation Offenses
–Newburgh Man Sentenced to 5 Years in Federal Prison for Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Material
–Lincoln Man Sentenced to 14 Years for Possession of Child Pornography
–Louisville Man Charged with Online Enticement of 15-Year-Old Girl
–FBI San Francisco Warns the Public About Online Predators Using ‘Group Grooming’
–Former Police Officer Sentenced To 37 Months For Possession Of Child Pornography
–Former Uniontown Resident Pleads Guilty to Distributing Material Depicting the Sexual Exploitation of a Minor
–Papillion Man Sentenced to 132 Months for Distributing Child Pornography
–Tonawanda Man Going To Prison On Child Pornography Charge
–Federal Jury Convicts Ocala Man Of Possession Of Child Sex Abuse Images
–Owasso Man Sentenced for Receipt of Child Pornography
–Herkimer County Man Sentenced to 138 Months in Prison for Distributing and Receiving Child Pornography
–Cherokee County Man Convicted of Sex Trafficking Teens in Tyler Area
–Lakeview Man Going To Prison For Distribution Of Child Pornography
–Former Uniontown Resident Pleads Guilty to Distributing Material Depicting the Sexual Exploitation of a Minor
–Missouri Husband and Wife Admit Possessing Child Pornography
–Cantina owner admits to forcing young girl to engage in commercial sex
–Orlando Man Who Destroyed Hard Drive Pleads Guilty To Distributing And Possessing Child Sex Abuse Materials

It’s easy, when confronted with the sheer volume of what is going on, to get overwhelmed. Where do we start? What can we do? The first step is to know there IS something we can do. It doesn’t involve crawling into the dark, putrid world of of the molester. It involves being able to identify the behaviors they use to gain access to children, and then preventing their access to children. There’s no need to confront anyone, you won’t need to view disturbing pictures, or subject yourself to anything that will give you nightmares.

So let’s do this; over the next few days, I will conduct a book study of Carla Van Dam’s book, Identifying Child Molesters: Preventing child sexual abuse by recognizing the patterns of the offenders. As I go through the book, I will share with you what I have learned. Our objectives are two-fold: 1) Identify those who might molest and 2) Know what to do when encountering potential molesters. Dr. Van Dam will provide concrete things to look for, and a clear plan for what to do if we suspect a person may be a molester. The key here is there is something we can do, prevent the molester from gaining access to children.

The secret is, protecting children cannot be something that is done for us. We have to take steps to protect the children. I don’t want to see one or two empty beds where my grandsons used to sleep, and I don’t know a parent or grandparents that would. So let’s take the steps we can to protect our children.

Do me a favor? As we go though this, share this with everyone you know. The more people who are forewarned, the better. The book costs $55 on Amazon. Her other book costs $34. I would recommend getting a copy, but it won’t be needed as we go forward.

Here’s a phrase to remember from the movie Sound of Freedom, “God’s children are not for sale.”