'Sound of Freedom' is a box office hit. But does it profit off trafficking survivors?

The numbers are in for July's summer blockbuster movies, and the "Sound of Freedom" is a surprise hit, accumulating about $150 million since its July 4 opening.

The thriller is loosely based on the story of anti-trafficking advocate and Operation Underground Railroad founder Tim Ballard, who left his work as a Homeland Security agent to facilitate victim rescues. The story follows Ballard, played by Jim Caviezel, as he goes rogue and rescues dozens of children from a Colombian sex trafficking ring. 

Although anti-trafficking efforts are typically apolitical and interventions are often adopted with nearly unanimous bipartisan support, this movie has been highly politicized and embroiled in a variety of debates, which has likely contributed to its popularity.

For example, certain liberal and Democratic commenters are questioning whether the film’s portrayal is realistic, and they raise concerns over the motives of the film’s producers and cast – whether they're "QAnon-adjacent."

On the other side, certain Republican commenters question why the film faced years’ worth of hurdles before its debut, as well as why there was backlash following the release of a seemingly well-intentioned movie.

Basically, the film’s producers and actors are accused by the left of "secondary exploitation," and those critics are accused by the right of trying to conceal the pernicious realities of sex trafficking.

Regardless of which side of the political spectrum you fall on, it is important for all people to be aware of the realities of secondary exploitation in the field of human trafficking. 

What is 'secondary exploitation'?

Historically, the concept of sex trafficking of minors has been mired with sensationalized and fictionalized stories as well as secondarily exploitative efforts that push ulterior motives and alternate agendas. Secondary exploitation can take many forms. Generally, it can be defined as the act of making use of or benefiting from a human trafficking survivor’s victimization or the human trafficking phenomenon.

Fundamentally, secondary exploitation is when a person uses the evocative topic of sex trafficking, false claims of trafficking, or the victimizations of others to enrich themselves, get attention or push an alternative agenda.

'Sound of Freedom' misleads viewers:What Jim Caviezel's film gets dangerously wrong about human trafficking

For example, an early internationally viral story of sex trafficking was about Eliza Armstrong in 1885. The editor of the Pall Mall Gazette, W.T. Stead, wrote a tale of Eliza being chloroformed and sex trafficked in London, purportedly having her virginity sold for a mere 5 pounds. It was later discovered that Stead fabricated the story, and he was sentenced to three months in jail. This is an example of secondary exploitation involving a fabricated story.

Fabricated and sensationalized stories about sex trafficking were also used to push Jim Crow laws for segregation and anti-miscegenation, as well as to justify Japanese internment camps during World War II. These are examples of secondary exploitation involving ulterior-motive agendas.

What does 'Sound of Freedom' get wrong – and right?

Secondary exploitation is one of the many reasons why it is so important to verify information on sex trafficking before it is disseminated, and to evaluate the credentials and intentions of the person making bold claims about this pernicious crime. 

To that effect, there are some concerns that Ballard’s recorded interventions/rescues were “arrogant, unethical and illegal” and possibly exaggerated. As such, it is understandable why some would accuse "Sound of Freedom" of secondary exploitation.

Child trafficking:Americans thought child labor was a travesty 'over there.' That myth has been shattered.

However, there were some important and factual elements from the movie that should not be overlooked. 

For example, modern day slavery is an insidious and pernicious crime. It is difficult to identify, and victims are often treated as disposable people who are infrequently rescued. Traffickers are also at low risk of criminalization, due to the clandestine nature of their crimes.

These themes are explored relatively accurately in the film. Even some of the details provide nuanced insight that are usually absent from typical Hollywood portrayals.

For instance, "Sound of Freedom" depicts the investigation and arrest of a female sex trafficking recruiter named Kelly Johana Suarez, who is played by Yessica Borroto Perryman as the character “Giselle.”  When she is being arrested in the film, the paid, female recruiter decries that she herself is a victim.

This is absolutely based in reality: Paid female sex trafficking recruiters often falsely claim to be victims in order to evade culpability for their crimes.

The reality is that trafficking is a lucrative and pervasive criminal enterprise with a low risk of intervention by law enforcement, and that victim rescue is unlikely compared with other forms of crime. 

Ultimately, despite the controversy surrounding the film, "Sound of Freedom" does bring a much needed awareness regarding concerns about secondarily exploitation – and the barriers to successful interventions regarding human trafficking crimes.  

Kimberly Mehlman-Orozco holds a Ph.D. in Criminology, Law and Society and serves as a human-trafficking expert witness in criminal and civil court. Her first book, "Hidden in Plain Sight: America’s Slaves of the New Millennium," is used to train law enforcement on human trafficking investigations.