It Takes More Grit Than Glory to Fight Child Abuse and Trafficking

This summer, there’s been increased interest among Americans in fighting the sex trafficking of children across the globe. Most of that interest has obviously arisen in response to the highly profitable and largely talked about independent film, Sound of Freedom. You might think that a movie about the evils of child sex trafficking couldn’t be too controversial. Everybody opposes child abuse, right? Yet debates about the accuracy of the film or the trustworthiness of the organization it highlights have been so heated and polarized that most social media disputes have led to name-calling on both sides. It’s now practically impossible to have an honest, helpful conversation about Sound of Freedom (or child sexual abuse, in general) without strangers on the internet writing each other off as “pedophiles” or “groomers.” I hadn’t entered into any of these debates myself, because I know what a bunch of angry, online strangers can do to one’s day. Yesterday, though, I ran across a particular Facebook post, and I chose to reply that the film is a drama and a thriller inspired by one man’s story rather than a realistic documentary of actual events. Almost immediately, several men angrily mentioned me. They called me a “loser,” asked if I was “insane,” and swore I was “a special kind of troll from the pit.” <a href="https://medium.com/honestly-yours/it-takes-more-grit-than-glory-to-fight-child-abuse-and-trafficking-5c4aa1ab5077">Click Here</a>