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I went and saw this movie over the weekend. No matter what you think of any sort of political movement - the harsh reality of this movie was a powerful thing. Is it horrible? Yes. Was it hard to watch? Yes, it was. It makes you physically sick pondering this could be happening to children all over the world. How can a person reconcile this with our everyday lives??
No matter if you see this movie and think it is an exaggerated version of a true story or not - it brings home an inconvenient truth. Slavery on a massive scale is alive and well in the world today. In our country as much as anywhere else. Now we call it human trafficking which somehow makes it a different animal - but it isn't. Slavery is well established occupation that affects all walks of life and every color of people of all ages. The fact that this movie uses the child trafficking to bring this to the forefront of major media is smart - and sadly based on true events. Why not tug at the heartstrings? The SPCA has been doing it for years with the pictures of those poor abused animals that end up at the shelters.
Painting a picture that plays on most people's basic revulsion helps expose the massive picture of human trafficking and all of its components. Watching an innocent child forced into unbelievable situations and not not have your heart break, is just not possible. I felt like the movie was very tastefully done. It showed the level of depravity and violence without actually "showing it." It's one of those movies that everyone should see. I was impressed with how they translated the despair, the degradation and severity of this human trafficking problem without stooping to shock value.
Child trafficking affects every country in the world, including the United States. Children make up 27% of all human trafficking victims worldwide, and two out of every three identified child victims are girls
Trafficking, according to the United Nations, involves three main elements:
The act: Recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring, or receipt of persons.
The means: Threat or use of force, coercion, abduction, fraud, deception, abuse of power or vulnerability, or giving payments or benefits to a person in control of the victim.
The purpose: For the purpose of exploitation, which includes exploiting the prostitution of others, sexual exploitation, forced labor, slavery or similar practices and the removal of organs.
There is much misinformation about what trafficking is, who is affected and what it means for a child to be trafficked
SavetheChildren.org has a website that gives information as well as strategies to be safe, but their main focus is to aid children all over the world in a number of ways.
www.ourrescue.org
O.U.R. VISION
We lead the fight against child sex trafficking and sexual exploitation around the globe. Our work has no boundaries- we go to the darkest corners of the world to assist law enforcement in rescuing children and ensure ongoing aftercare. We provide critical resources to law enforcement and preventative efforts that benefit at-risk children worldwide. Our resolve never falters, and we will faithfully persevere until every child is safe.
Human trafficking isn't just a problem - it's a global epidemic. The latest International Labour Organization (ILO) study estimates that a staggering 49.6 million people are currently living in modern slavery worldwide, with a whopping 27.6 million in labor and sex trafficking and 22 million in forced marriage. These numbers are on the rise, and it's not just happening "over there" - an estimated 5.1 million people are in modern slavery on any given day in the United States alone. Child sex trafficking has been reported in every single state.
are just a few other organizations out there that are working to end human trafficking - click icons to check them out
While many have criticized the movie for promoting O.U.R. as the primary outlet for contributions or help - the main focus was just to bring this to the masses. The story about Tim Ballard is the basis of this movie and the movie relays the dire situation that is going on out there today.
At the end of the movie there is a special message from Jim Caviezel. It tries to steer you towards the real purpose - the kids - the victims - it's really their story and this was just a vehicle. Not that there aren't millions suffering - but knowing it's being done to kids touches a special horror in your soul. If you haven't considering watching this movie - it really is worth it - even as depressing as it is.
This is a promotional piece that went out before the movie hit the theaters - but most of the this is also part of the message at the end during the credits.
I felt this deserved a shout out as it was an amazing and horrible movie all at the same time. Makes you shudder and cry and cringe - but maybe we need to feel these things to understand the "SLAVERY of NOW".
I know this has nothing to do with shoes - but sometimes the things that are important out there need to be shared no matter the venue.