Did you know of these horrifying statistics?
The National Association of Adult Survivors of Sexual Abuse estimates that there are more than 42 million survivors of sexual abuse in America today. They calculate that one in three girls are sexually abused before the age of 18.
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, estimates that at least 100,000 children are sexually exploited in America every year.
The Department of Human Services estimates that there are between 240,000 and 325,000 children and women forced into sexual slavery in the USA, every year.
It is estimated that there are 500,000 online predators active each day and that their targets for grooming are between 12 and 15 years of age. Over 50% of victims of sexual exploitation are in the 12 to 15 years age group.
Worldwide estimates of child sex trafficking every year have reached 1.2 million.
Did you know that America is the biggest market for sex trafficking?
Did you know that in the USA, California tops the list for sex trafficking with 1,334 reported cases and 2,122 victims in 2021?
Sexual trafficking of children and women is among us, here in California. Here in Santa Barbara County. The traffickers and their customers are depraved monsters, without pity.
We are not just talking numbers. We are talking about children and adults, human beings, who are being held in bondage. Women and children are being sold for sexual exploitation until they are too sick, ruined by drugs, or worn out for further use.
We as civilized people must take notice. We must pressure the authorities and all our elected officials. We must provide vocal support and material support to our Chiefs of Police and our County Sheriff and their officers to seek out and arrest anyone involved in this ultra-criminal trade in human beings.
At any time, it could be your daughter, your son, your granddaughter, or your grandson who is snatched into the sex trade. Gone for good.
Please make a date to see the Movie playing at the Fairview Theatre playing now. It is entitled "The Sound of Freedom". It is a true story of two young children, brother and sister who were lured by a woman into a singing contest that turned out to be a snatch of about a dozen children destined to be sold into the South American sex slave market to criminals.
It tells the true story of a man who risked his life to find the boy and the girl in two different countries each held by the worst kind of criminal monsters for their own sexual pleasure and to put them to labor in the fields, processing Coca leaves.
He and a partner, along with a local police chief, devised a brilliant ruse to rescue 52 other young children and capture a number of child traffickers, including the woman who lured most of them into captivity, and pedophiles who paid to sexually assault the children.
You cannot leave this movie without feeling that you must do something. You must play a part in stopping the ruination of children's lives and their parent's lives. It becomes a personal priority for action and involvement. We need to speak with our protection officers to make them know we care, and we are prepared to act wherever necessary.
We need our police and sheriff's departments to tell us what they are doing to stop this scourge of our young. And what do they need to do more? We must make our priorities in this known, emphatically, to the City Councils and to the County Board of Supervisors.
If we do not act on this, and act effectively, how can we look in the mirror?
Did You Know called Fairview Theatre to confirm it will still be playing and received the following information. It is on the schedule through next Thursday. Friday through Thursday showings are 1:40 pm, 4:45 pm, and 7:50 pm. Bargain Tuesday is only $7.50 per ticket. It could be playing longer yet as of when we called the following week's schedule wasn't available.
Did You Know reached out to a local man that has been working to protect children for years and gave us the following information.
21st Century Fox Entertainment acquired the movie and intended to distribute it. However, Disney acquired Fox and decided to put the movie on hold. Subsequently, Angel Studios acquired the rights and has now released it. The main issue lies in the fact that major studios have control over theaters, and these theaters are prohibited from screening the film. From this gentlemen's perspective, this decision seems ill-advised from a business standpoint, especially considering that this movie was projected to generate 25% more revenue than Disney's own Indiana Jones franchise. He suggests that theaters should exhibit "The Sound of Freedom" and assert that it is a business decision. After all, what can the studios possibly do? Complain about the additional revenue it brings in?
A few years back, he worked on a film shedding light on the issue of sexual exploitation in Santa Barbara County. You can watch "OUR KIDS" on Vimeo:
If anyone would like to help out with a new documentary, please reach out to Matthew Organista at matthew@mattheworganista.com
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