2023-07-12 10:52:40
Sound of freedom passed the day of its release last week in US theaters the last Indiana Jones, which was in its fifth day of theatrical run. A success that delights the American right, delighted to see one of their heroes embodied on the screen. Sound of freedom (The Sound of Freedom) fictionally tells the story of Tim Ballard, an American who ten years ago founded Operation Underground Railroad, also known by the acronym OUR, an NGO for fight against child trafficking. Since then, Tim Ballard and his organization have established themselves in the American media landscape, through protests and controversial rescue operations.
“The organization [O.U.R] works with law enforcement around the world to conduct rescue missions, gather evidence and support prosecutions against traffickers, explain Angel, the production company of Sound of freedom. Tim’s team is made up of ex-law enforcement and military personnel who conduct covert operations to rescue victims from brothels, slave markets, and other trafficking situations. »
A Mormon father of nine, who castigates the “woke left”
Tim Ballard, a Mormon father of nine, presents himself as a former United States government agent. “In 2006, Tim Ballard embarked on his first undercover rescue mission while working for the government,” reads Angel’s website. He posed as a sex tourist in order to infiltrate a child sex trafficking ring in Cartagena, Colombia. This operation saved many children and arrested several traffickers. It was a watershed moment for Tim, who realized the urgent need for an organization dedicated to combating human trafficking. »
Since then, Tim Ballard and OUR explain that they have carried out several child rescue operations in Latin America or Ukraine. Muscular operations and publicized – journalists Have attended live at certain operations – which ensured the notoriety of the organization in American conservative circles. In an interview given to the conservative media The Daily Signal on June 26, Tim Ballard defines itself as “libertarian” and speaks out in favor of gender transitions for adults. On the other hand, he castigates “the left woke”, guilty according to him of favoring “the program of pedophiles”. He opposes the gender transition of children: “It will lead to what pedophiles are asking for. If you can consent to this [la transition], guess what is more fluid than gender? Age. »
Controversial claims
In 2019, Tim Ballard participate to a panel with President Donald Trump to share his experience as an “undercover operator”. Invited the same year to testify in Congress, he advance that his NGO “rescued 1,765 victims and contributed to the arrest of nearly 900 traffickers”.
He takes advantage of this forum to come out in favor of a physical border between the United States and Mexico, which he believes would reduce human trafficking between the two countries. A month earlier, Tim Ballard wrote that “the State Department reports that approximately 10,000 children are smuggled into the United States each year and forced into the sex trade.” Asked by the Washington Post after Donald Trump made similar comments, the State Department, in charge of foreign affairs, replied not having found any report that corroborates this assertion.
An increasingly popular organization
It’s not Tim Ballard’s only claim that is controversial. The American site Vice leaned over about the story of Liliana, a young Mexican who was forced into prostitution in the United States. On several occasions, the founder of OUR spoke about his story, making it one of his arguments for building a border wall. Several points do not coincide with available court documents, Vice found.
OUR’s methods have also come under criticism from human trafficking experts, who doubt the effectiveness of such rescues. The care of the victims, which is complex, is done over the long term. Dismantling networks is also a long-term job, were pointing specialists in 2016 with the Washington Post. Questions that have not reached the popularity of OUR Since its foundation in 2013, the donations it receives, its main source of income, have passed from $925,000 to nearly 28 million in 2022. A 30% increase.
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