The Sound of Freedom, a movie about child trafficking, was released in South Africa on Friday with an important message.
Despite the movie being highly controversial, it portrays an undeniable message about slavery, particularly among children.
The movie showcases the true story of an American special agent and his journey to rescue trafficked children.
But the plot is not what is important in the story, it is the message.
One of the more powerful messages came when the special agent was asked why he was doing all of this, to which he replied: "God's children are not for sale."
Several reviews and reports state that the film was sensationalistic and made to be more dramatic for effect, all of which distracts from the main message that trafficking is a real issue that needs to be addressed.
The movie seeks to represent a group of victims that are rarely the focus, victims that get left to die.
The gut-wrenching movie, which may be overly dramatic, achieves its goal of drawing out the emotion of the crowd - regardless of how strong you may be.
Leaving the theatre with a heavy heart and mind is a real possibility but a special message at the end emphasises that the movie is about hope, not fear.
Hope that something can be done to tackle one of the biggest crime syndicates in the world.
Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters
Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox
The makers of the movie were hopeful that it would make it to the screens as it was filmed five years ago and despite several unknown hurdles, it finally made it to cinemas across the world.
Annually, human traffickers abduct 300,000 children worldwide, enslaving them. In the US, 28% of the 17,000 trafficked people are kids, approximately 13 daily.
This is based on data collected in 2016 from the ERASE Child Trafficking organisation.
In South Africa, between April 2021 and March 2022, human trafficking cases increased from 16 to 83.
Out of these, 74 individuals were provided with care, The Mail & Guardian reported in 2022.
The Human Trafficking Hotline claims that "despite growing awareness about this crime, human trafficking continues to go underreported due to its covert nature, misconceptions about its definition, and a lack of awareness about its indicators."
The movie has been criticised for its links to the QAnon conspiracy.
QAnon emerged in 2017, claiming Donald Trump fought against Hollywood, Democrats, and a "deep state" of paedophiles.
The group believes that the elites purchase children to drink their blood to stay youthful, claims that have not been proven.
