Former CIA Agent, Homeland Security Agent, and BYU in Provo graduate Tim Ballard has taken to the silver screen to show what he and his team of former Navy SEALs, Special Ops, and CIA operatives are doing to end human trafficking and child sex slavery. In his movie, “The Abolitionists,” Ballard brings audiences to the front lines of a well-hidden war affecting millions of people around the world every day. The feature follows Ballard and company as they go deep undercover in cities around the world to liberate children from the hands of their unlawful captors. The movie’s launch website, www.theabolitionistsmovie.com, records how Ballard formed his team known as Operation Underground Railroad after a career of rescuing children from sexual exploitation both domestically and overseas for Homeland Security. The website says, “Despite the U.S. government’s best efforts, Tim observed that red tape and bureaucracy left many children falling through the cracks. These children constitute over 90% of the children lost to child sex slavery, and Tim could do nothing to help them while in the employment of the U.S. government.” Sala McCarthy Stonex, a senior political science major from Laie, said, “I think the most inspiring thing is the fact that Tim was not only a special agent who took on such a rough job, but also left the cover of the U.S. government to go out and make an even bigger impact.” Erica Greer, a sophomore exercise science major from Virginia, saw the movie and said one of the things she admired most aboutBallard and his team was how they always said a prayer before planning a mission or going into a deal. Though his faith is never directly referenced in “The Abolitionists” or on the O.U.R.’s website, www.ourrescue.org, his biography says he served a “church mission in Chile,” and is a BYU graduate. In each of the on-screen operations, Ballard inserts himself directly into the buyer’s market to arrange meetings with as many underage sex workers as their traffickers will allow. Once all the children are present and the dealers have been paid, Ballard gives a signal and his team, accompanied by the local government, swarm in and bring the slave traders to justice. Julia Anderson, a junior intercultural peacebuilding major from Utah, also saw the film and shared her thoughts: “It was so inspiring to see the great care that Operation Undercover Railroad has for these precious souls. They risked their lives to save these innocent children.” Once freed, O.U.R. helps find a safe home for the former child slaves and continues to work with them to help them work through any trauma they have. Ballard believes “The rescue isn’t complete until the healing of the child happens.” Since O.U.R.’s founding in 2013, it has been directly responsible for the liberation of more than 500 sex slaves and has put more than 180 traffickers behind bars, according to www.ourrescue.org. The film brings to light how common, especially among children, sex trafficking is in the world today. When O.U.R. visits Colombia in the film, child pornography is so commonplace, it can actually be bought on the street corner of a busy marketplace. Purchasing an evening with an underage girl there is as easy as going to the beach and asking around to find out who’s selling. When the team goes to Haiti to help a man track down his abducted son, they discover an orphanage where children who aren’t old enough to speak can be bought after about 15 minutes of talking to the caretaker. Anderson said, “I couldn’t believe how nonchalant the traffickers were.” While O.U.R. is out traveling the world to liberate children from the hands of their slave-trading abductors, they have provided a way for members of the general public to use their time and resources to raise awareness of the issue. Anderson said, “After the movie, I looked into how I can help with the cause using my own talents. I submitted an application to volunteer with collecting humanitarian needs and aftercare.” She continued, “Hopefully I’ll be able to work from home right now as part of the recruiting team, website management, fund raising, collecting humanitarian needs and educating people about the project.” O.U.R.’s website shows several celebrities who have committed to join the movement, including popular electronic music producer, Kaskade, who went on record to say, “The day I became a father, it felt like a primal switch was flipped. There’s little I wouldn’t do to secure the safety of my own children. O.U.R.’s mission to do just that for children who have been involved in modern-day slavery speaks to that same feeling. This is a fight I can get behind.” While O.U.R.’s movement is gaining popularity through social media and with the limited nationwide release of “The Abolitionists,” there is still a long way to go to fully abolish child sex slavery. The FBI reported sex slavery is “The fastest growing business of organized crime and the third-largest criminal enterprise in the world.” Esther Candari, a junior art major from Kaneohe, said she has been following the topic for a few years and explained the growing prevalence of child sex slavery is due in part to pornography. She explained, “So many Westerners go to countries like that to engage in child trafficking because they got into porn and became desensitized.” She added that in many cases, porn addicts no longer get excited by “normal” pornography and start exploring more “hardcore” genres until they eventually end up addicted to child pornography. Candari explained that after a while, the addicts “want the real thing” and go where they can get it. To learn more about Operation Underground Railroad and how you can support the movement, visit www.ourrescue.org. “The Abolitionists” was only available for viewing on May 13 and 16 in select theaters. The times and locations of future showings can be found on www.theabolitionistsmovie.com.
Writer: Alex Maldonado
