The newly released movie “Sound of Freedom” is raising Canadians’ awareness of human trafficking and motivating people to respond, say two longtime advocates working to combat the trade in humans.
The drama, based on true events, tells the story of Tim Ballard, an employee for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, who rescues young Columbian siblings and others trafficked for child prostitution. The film, which stars Jim Caviezel playing Mr. Ballard, grossed US$14 million in the United States on its July 4 debut for top spot at the box office.
Anti-human trafficking advocate Cathy Peters from Vancouver told The Epoch Times that the movie has helped the topic grip the public consciousness.
“I’m getting just a lot more emails, phone calls, a lot more interest in the issue. I got an email the other day where somebody said, ‘Oh, my goodness, you presented to us years ago. We watched the movie, we now get it.’ It’s almost like people didn’t really believe me previously when I would do a presentation. That’s the biggest problem we have in Canada. Canadians don’t believe it happens here.”
The Epoch Times reached out to Canadians who watched “Sound of Freedom” to gauge their reaction. Stephanie Wintringham of Saskatoon said she related to the father of the trafficked children.
“Imagine if this was your child. Imagine walking past an empty bedroom where there is no more playful sounds of kids laughing,“ she said, referring to a line from the film. ”I cried from the moment that sentence was voiced.”
Winnipeg resident Patrick Allard described the movie as “captivating,” saying it was “done very well” and caused him to reflect.
“It’s a very touching show. You get goosebumps, you get tears. There’s moments of joy in the movie, and I encourage everyone to see it,” he said.
“What do you do to help these children who are in this world of sex trafficking? We have it happening in our front door, I’m sure, right here in Manitoba. I’m sure we can do better.”
“I can’t have this in the back of my mind, knowing that this goes on,” he said. “I think it is important to spread the awareness and stop this evil that is happening. It’s absolutely disgusting that this goes on, that these people make money off it.”
Ms. Peters said this is the kind of reaction that fuels change.
“There’s outrage, and that’s what you want. People aren’t going to change anything or do anything until they’re mad. The reason I do the work I do is, I’m mad. I’m a mother bear, and I’m mad. You don’t hurt children—it’s that simple,” she said.
‘So Many Victims Out There’
In 2011, then-Winnipeg Conservative MP Joy Smith started a foundation in her name to address human trafficking. She tabled the government bill the Protection of Communities and Exploited Persons Act, which became law in 2014. It made purchasing sex a criminal offence for buyers, but not those selling sex, who are usually victims.Ms. Smith, now retired from politics, told The Epoch Times that “Sound of Freedom” left her heart racing.
“I liked it very much because it was very real and very true. The shock of the dad when his kids suddenly disappeared—that happens. And where [traffickers are] saying, ‘Oh, your child is so talented, so beautiful,’ and they could be a model or they could be a singer or whatever, it happens that way,” she said.
“This was a great movie, and you could apply it to Canada any single day.”
Ms. Smith said the film left her “triggered” with “flashbacks” of interventions she had made for trafficked children.
“I get a flashback of things I’ve seen, things I think I’ve tried to forget. It comes back into my mind,” she said. “My daughter Janet was with me [at the movie] and she said, ‘Mom, are you all right?’ And I said, ‘Yeah, I’m alright.’ It’s a bit of PTSD.”
One rescue in Ontario was particularly poignant for Smith.
“We were looking for some girls, and it was a farmhouse. I’ve been sworn to secrecy about this, so I can’t say too much, but what I‘ll say is that when I went through the doors, the girls had been cattle prodded and waterboarded. And I’ll never forget that smell,” she said.
Ms. Smith said people phone her foundation daily and they have helped in more than 7,500 cases of exploitation.
‘Know the Indicators’
Ms. Peters says recent trends have child traffickers targeting children as young as 10 in Canada, with faster growth among boys being exploited.“Schools really have become recruiting grounds for gangs and for human trafficking, and I don’t think Canadians are aware of that,” she said.
Changes in a young person’s behaviour or appearance can indicate sexual exploitation has begun. Sometimes young girls don’t realize they are being used and think they are just doing favours for a boyfriend.
“The public has to know the indicators, like what do you look for? What are the signs that something is going on? And it doesn’t take much,” Ms. Peters said, going on to list some of those indicators.
“The way she’s dressing has become more provocative. She’s got a boyfriend she doesn’t talk about or she won’t bring home or we don’t get to meet. She’s exhausted all the time. She’s got two cellphones. Oh, where'd she get that gold chain from? She’s got a new tattoo ... of initials or a crown or a diamond. Her nails are being done. She’s got false eyelashes [or] a very expensive purse. Where did she get that?”
Ms. Peters said a false “cultural mindset” has emerged where people fail to see that those selling sex are being exploited. She said “Sound of Freedom” was weaker at portraying consumers, and that pornography has fed the appetites and the market behind the problem.
“The sex buyers are invisible. And they’re men that make over $100,000 a year. They are married, they have a wife, they have children, they’re professional. They have a graduate degree, and they make enough money that they can pay a lawyer to get off. They are the judges, the doctors, the politicians, the dentists, the police officers, teachers. That’s who’s buying.”
