Sound of Freedom: Are We Listening Yet?

The Premise of Sound of Freedom

Eager for opportunities for his two young children to move upward in life, a single father in Honduras, Roberto, is persuaded by Gisele, a local celebrity beauty queen, to drop off his children for a "modeling audition".  With some hesitation, Roberto leaves his children in her care, reassured that he can pick them up later that evening.

When he arrives to pick them up however, there is no trace of the children, Giselle, or the "modeling agency".

Meanwhile in California, Tim Ballard, a Homeland Security agent, gains the trust of a pedophile who eventually leads him to one of the missing children, Miguel.  Miguel had been sold to an American man, sexually abused, and then would have been resold several times a day, had Tim not found him and arrested the man.  Tim reunites Miguel with his father, Roberto, and in the process learns that Miguel's sister, Rocio, is trapped in slavery.

This sets off a chain of events that eventually frees over 50 children from their traffickers. 

The movie is chilling, suspenseful, haunting, and yet hopeful.  

What intrigues me most about this movie is that it is based on real events.

Sound of Freedom Based on True Events

Produced in 2018 by 20th Century Fox, and then shelved for 5 years by the subsequent owners (Disney), this movie has defeated all obstacles to finally be released to the viewing public.  Even if you're not a conspiracy theorist, it might appear that there is a reason this movie's release was delayed or even suppressed.  

I was watching the crowdfunding efforts of this movie back when it was being filmed, and to see it finally released is encouraging.  But it's also quite eye-opening.

Sound of Freedom is based on real events during Operation Triple Take, a 2014 sting in Columbia that targeted three locations: Cartagena, Armenia and Medellian.  The results of Triple Take were even more dramatic than the movie depicts, leading to the freeing of 123 sex trafficking victims, and the arrest of 12 traffickers.  The differences between the movie and real life events are detailed here.

This stuff is happening all around us, with the United States being one of the biggest consumers of child pornography and of enslaved children through sex tourism.  According to UNICEF, it's the second most profitable illegal activity in the States, with only the drug trade beating it out.

The real life Tim Ballard continues the work through the organization he founded, Operation Underground Railroad (O.U.R.).  Working with local law enforcement and with proven aftercare facilities, O.U.R. continues to rescue child and adult trafficking victims. They reunite victims with their families where possible, and help support them with therapy, education and care as needed.

A quick Google or Youtube search will show a ton of info about O.U.R. and the work they do.  These guys are real life heroes, with intense operations and life-changing rescues of children and adults trapped in slavery.

Modern-Day Slavery in 2023

As Ballard is quick to share, slavery is more rampant now then it ever has been before.  It's happening around the world every day, but we just don't hear about it like we should.  That's why this movie is so significant -- it shines a light on something most of us don't want to admit actually happens in this day and age.

The movie handles such a horrifying topic well, respecting both the victims and the audience. Nothing explicit is shown, although much is implied.  

I would encourage all adults to see this movie, and many teens would benefit from watching it as well.  It would certainly create some good discussion for parents to view it with older teenaged kids.

But more importantly, I would encourage everyone to explore this topic of child exploitation, learn more about modern-day slavery, and work toward freeing victims and eliminating the demand for human trafficking.