There is a depraved series on HBO that I have never watched but have seen a few clips of on Instagram. Per Wikipedia, “Euphoria” is an American teen drama created and written by Sam Levinson. It stars popular celebrities including Zendaya, Jacob Elordi and Sydney Sweeney. Its executive producers include Levinson, Zendaya and Canadian rapper Drake.
Critics have found its themes of toxic sexuality, nudity, physical and emotional abuse, and drug use problematic, to say the least. Having Levinson, 41, and Drake, 39, write and produce a show about rampant teenage sex and nudity just fuels the Hollywood pedophilia accusations, particularly since Drake has already been accused of questionable interactions with underage girls, including actress Millie Bobbie Brown.
Average, moral, God-fearing Americans are in a war for the bodies, souls and futures of our children. Year after year, our culture becomes increasingly sexualized, to the extent that children are now the targets of brazen adult sexual exploitation.
We’ve discovered the horrible truth that some corporations capitalize on sexualizing children for profit, often increasing the demand for sex trafficking. As a 2023 USA Today news article explained, fashion house Balenciaga held a supposed fashion campaign with “children holding plush teddy bears dressed in sado-masochistic trappings – bondage gear, fishnet skirts and studded leather harnesses and dog collars.” Seeing this, who would continue to support this brand and how are the executives behind such child exploitation not behind bars?
Despite its depravity, it didn’t seem to make a huge impression; instead, it shone a light on human complacency. As the article states, we Americans used to see child sex trafficking as a horrific issue in other parts of the world. Now we know it is happening in our own backyard – maybe here more than anywhere.
Human traffickers can now enter every home through a phone or computer and communicate directly with a child. My husband and I have had multiple discussions with our boys regarding would-be predators. That cute girl they don’t know who slips into their DMs could be a 45-year-old man from New Jersey. It’s a disgusting and terrifying topic to have to address, but it’s necessary to talk about it more than once. At the risk of sounding positively Puritan, we still don’t allow our sons to keep iPhones in their rooms – our house, our rules. We protect them as long as we can, all while attempting to teach them to protect themselves in the future.
Former University of Florida quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow has always been an outstanding man, creating an anti-trafficking and anti-child exploitation organization that partners with the U.S. and countries abroad by identifying trafficked children, rescuing them, and providing survivor care.
According to Tebow’s Foundation website, 2022 global estimates showed that human trafficking increased by nearly 10 million people in the preceding five years, while “the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received nearly 85 million pictures and videos depicting some form of child sexual abuse worldwide in 2021.”
If my goal were to emulate the current Republican Party, especially Congress and the Alabama Legislature, I would simply share these horrifying statistics and provide no solutions. But that’s not my purpose. So, what can we regular folks do to combat these atrocities?
It feels overwhelming to imagine we can make a difference. Therefore, I first turn to the One who is the universal change agent when I am powerless. “The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective,” James 5:16b states. I have no righteousness of my own, but as a Christian, I know that Christ has paid for my sins, stands in my place, and He is my righteousness. By this, I know my prayers for children in distress from Alabama to Indonesia are heard by God. Nothing is impossible with Him (Luke 1:37).
We can also get physically involved. We can financially contribute to or volunteer locally with The WellHouse right here in Alabama, a Christian, faith-based, residential facility for women and children who have survived sex trafficking and need treatment in a safe place.
If we want to participate in a more global initiative, Tebow’s organization is a reputable one, providing website links for donations to help fight trafficking, as well as multiple ways to join their mission in a more tangible way.
Regardless of how we get involved, we must fight. The exploitation of our children – including sexually explicit library books, drag queen shows, depraved television programs, and perverted social media grooming – will not stop because evil does not sleep. But evil only triumphs when good men and women choose to do nothing.
Kristin Landers is a substitute teacher and freelance writer. Landers’ previous work includes serving as Communications Director for the Alabama Policy Institute and working for Citizens Against a Legalized Lottery (CALL) to defeat legalized gambling in the state of Alabama.
The views and opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the policy or position of 1819 News. To comment, please send an email with your name and contact information to [email protected].
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