269: The 70 Billion Dollar a Year Industry that Needs Your Help Now with Tim Ballard
Midlife Conversations with Natalie Jill - A podcast by Natalie Jill
Today, there are still 30 million people inslaved. And shockingly, SEX TRAFFICKING is a 150 BILLION dollar industry. The biggest clients of this? US citizens. And this is happening right under our watch and it is not being talked about nearly enough. One man, Tim Ballard, the founder or Operation underground railroad has made it his life mission to rescue our children and shed light on this growing industry. Tim Ballard is the Founder/CEO of Operation Underground Railroad. He is also the CEO of The Nazarene Fund which seeks to save oppressed religious minorities in the Middle East. Ballard spent over a decade working as a Special Agent for the Department of Homeland Security where he was deployed as an undercover operative. He has worked every type of case imaginable in the fight to dismantle child trafficking rings. He has worked undercover in the United States and in multiple foreign countries to infiltrate child trafficking organizations. Ballard is the principal subject of two full-length documentaries: The Abolitionists, by Academy Award-winning producer, Gerald Molen, and Operation Toussaint, by Emmy Award-winning director, Nick Nanton. His life story is also depicted in the upcoming feature film, The Sound of Freedom, where he is portrayed by actor Jim Caviezel and his wife Katherine, is portrayed by Academy Award Winner, Mira Sorvino. Ballard is the best-selling author of six books including Slave Stealers: True Accounts of Slave Rescues-Then and Now. His other titles include The Lincoln Hypothesis, The Washington Hypothesis, and The American Covenant series. He was born and raised in Los Angles, CA and now resides in Utah with his wife and nine children. In this episode, you will learn: How many people who are currently enslaved How are they finding their victims What can you do to protect your children