New Country, New Challenges

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Enjoy it, share it, but most of all, thank you for listening and choosing the Truth Podcast Network. An older white man with gray hair sitting on the bench, they're often very young, still trying to prove themselves. And these countries are very volatile and there's a lot of corruption. So it's really hard to tell if the judge is there because he's actually qualified or did he buy the position or is he a gang member?

Like, until you meet them and get to know them and go on an operation with them, there's really no way to tell. Welcome to Lantern Rescue, a ministry program dedicated to bringing light into the darkness of human trafficking. It's time to light the way to freedom. This is Lantern Rescue. We tell the stories, we talk about rescues and we empower you to do something about it.

William Wilberforce once said, let it not be said I was silent when they needed me. This is Lantern Rescue. Welcome to Lantern Rescue.

I am really excited today. The team is in a new country from last week, which is going to offer some insights actually into how the relationships work with the officials in different countries. So TC, can you kind of take us there?

Yeah, it's interesting. In the last show, we had talked about overcoming friction and some of the relationships that we developed and have developed in order to combat human trafficking. And so we thought it was, you know, an easy jump to in this show talk about a couple of those relationships in the officials that on the other side of the table from us who are combating human trafficking in their countries.

So we thought it was an easy jump. And in this particular case, an official that we met with actually just yesterday for an hour or so is the deputy attorney general in his country. And his whole responsibility is to combat cybercrime in the area of human trafficking in this country. And as we talked to him and he had, you know, he had a bunch of technical things going on there and was showing us some of his workload. His staff, it should be noted, he's an attorney. He manages four other attorneys. And if I'm not mistaken, he had five other boots on the ground type who would collect evidence for him and do some of the things that attorneys don't do. But his caseload was at four thousand. And if I'm not mistaken, he was tackling at most one hundred and twenty cases a year.

And some of those cases take three years to prosecute. Oh, my word. So essentially crime that's happening over the Internet when it comes to human trafficking.

Oh, my word. Yeah. And that involves everything from substantial cases that are clear, have a clear path to prosecution to those who are just grooming individuals, you know, from one country to another or within that country that they're they're grooming a minor into a trafficking situation.

So in a case like that, which just seems like complete overload, what is what were your recommendations? Well, that's a great question. We're actually going to toss the ball to Austin, and he's going to talk about some of the things that they do to combat this and what we can do to help. Welcome. Hi, how are you? Good. It's good to have you on.

Thank you. So in this specific case, the chief of this unit has limited capabilities, limited personnel. And there are foreign countries that will donate equipment, services or technical abilities to these countries to help combat these issues. You know, one of the big, big issues with that is that they'll sometimes give them resources, but not given the ability to use those resources when they do that. It's just, you know, I think a lot of times it's just an oversight. But in this specific case, they gave them a machine that you can scrub a cell phone or a hard drive or, you know, collect all kinds of data off of that text messaging and pictures and so on and so forth.

Call logs, what the chat messages, things like that. But they can't use it in their prosecutions because they don't have anybody who's certified to use this machine. So, you know, we're looking at options of how we can assist. And we actually have a guy on our team that's certified in that specific machine. So how we can assist them and, you know, with their legal process of prosecuting these guys that are abusing children. So, wow, he can not only obviously help them because he's certified, but he could possibly train somebody as well and get them certified?

Yeah, those are options down the road. Absolutely. And so, Mark, you know, again, a case of load of four thousand and you can only get a hundred and some odd prosecuted per year. You know, how do you guys process that? I think first of all is if I could just back up one second, Robbie, and kind of make an understanding of what a case could look like, because we were able to evaluate and look at some cases with him, right?

Some of the more current ones that that good team is working hard to prosecute. And that is a person from another country came to this country. They set up a house that they were living in. I mean, it's got workout room, all that. But one of the rooms is a video room. So they've got extensive equipment and computer software to make videos and then to either stream or to, you know, post those, whether it's the dark web or the regular web, to customers elsewhere. And that involved down to a 12 year old girl.

And it's difficult to see those images of a, you know, a setup of a bed with little stuffed animals, you know, everything it is required to entice a child into that environment. And then for that person to just take that advantage of them and to abuse them in such a way is horrible. But, you know, that that case, they've done super well. They've been able to move forward prosecution or I mean, they're in the midst of it. And they, you know, obviously they're going to go for the extent of what they can in this country, which is quite good. But so when we talk about 4000 cases, they're not all that some are grooming issues, but maybe the listeners get an understanding of this is this is more than just a Snapchat picture. You know, these are these are real people and real kids who are being violated in every possible way, inhumane way by perpetrators like that man. And they have to be taken and taken care of. You know, I'm going to maybe I'll throw that back to TC or Austin here to comment on what is it that we kind of begin to formulate how we could help them or Alan once you jump in on this?

Well, I can jump in a little bit on this. What we've all seen in all the countries have been in many of us in a variety of countries is aid from other governments or nations coming into these countries. And we mentioned the rubber for this country, that is an item that can be used. However, it can't be used to the fullest extent because there's no follow through after the items introduced to the country or what we're given to the agency. In this case, certification and other places, you know, roads are built with with no ability to maintain the paving of those roads moving forward.

So it's kind of like not slamming foreign aid from other countries. But what you'll find is a lot of times there's not the ability to maintain those items that are received by those countries or those agencies and kind of where we're at. We're stepping into that void where there's lack of follow through with the machine. We're trying to help them and the follow through by getting them certified people to operate the machine. And it goes all the way down to the tactical teams that are doing actual entries. You know, they give them the initial training, but there's no follow up training or assistance moving forward. So that's kind of where we're stepping in in this arena with this country is to give them the follow through so that they can actually utilize the equipment that's given through foreign aid. Yeah, that's really a remarkable thing. And you can just see really God in the midst of, you know, here's this equipment in this way to really help these people that are trying to do something.

But then they've got no way to use it. God provides land and rescue to come in there. And go ahead. Robby, if I could, too, I wanted maybe want to kind of share a little bit further some of the other ways we can help the great need in that country. I don't know, Austin or TC, one of you guys want to jump in on that?

I'll catch a little bit and give it back over. I know in this particular case, Landon is going to be able to do some liaison work to get some man hours and some expertise in this field specifically. But on the other side, there also has to be boots on the ground to get the evidence to the prosecutor.

So again, Landon would be able to train. We'll actually again meet with another official to this country in this area today and talk about what we can do to train teams to collect evidence to make sure that process is well done and streamlined. So I think that's it's absolutely critical. As Alan has said, it's a missing it's a completely missing step that we're able to to fill or to help fulfill to make things successful in that area.

Wow, Austin. Yeah, Robbie, you know, it's it's the United States does something very well coast to coast and that's our law enforcement and judicial process. You know, we had probably some of the best training and the greatest experts in the world when it comes to law enforcement, you know, the variety of issues in law enforcement. And when you come to a developing country, it's very difficult for them to to even get a handle on what is it that we need? You know, it's kind of like you don't know what you don't know.

So it's great. And one of the things that lantern does so well is we go in and we do these assessments and you know with the various backgrounds that all the members have we can kind of assess and say we need to go this direction and we need to go that direction. You know, specifically for this case, we're expanding our core capabilities and we've been looking for opportunities for a long time of how can we better serve these countries and what what are other things that we can get involved with that that really go to the core fight of this this issue and you know, so as TC just described we're going to be getting some guys but a lot of man hours into helping this Attorney General's office in prosecuting these cases and and kind of streamlining the process from collection of evidence to a case ready to prosecute and because that's really I mean that could take a very long time takes a long time in the US. It takes even longer time in a developing country that has very limited resources very limited personnel to put this case together.

And I mean when we're talking about 120 cases and we got a backlog of 4000 you know that's that's a that's that's years and years and years of prosecutions. So, you know, it's it's important for us to come in and kind of identify those issues for them help them work through and do that critical thinking to get the proper team together and so they can be most efficient at prosecuting these cases. You know, Mark, I was thinking that, you know, they get saved kind of one at a time. Like if you're going to share the gospel or something at all, you know, there's one individual that's being abused right this minute and they need rescuing is and so it's kind of like God provides this one at a time.

Because, you know, that's how you kind of eat a whale you just take you to start taking bites and it's it's a beautiful thing that God's provided lantern this opportunity and but as an outsider looking in at this, you guys are, you know, when we hear about you picked up this girl you picked up that girl. You know, we're not realizing that the beauty of what we're just what you guys are describing right now is by creating a case. You're not only stopping this particular perpetrator, but you could be stopping a whole ring of perpetrators that could actually be rescuing hundreds of girls in the future to come right?

Yeah, TC introduced the statement to our team first and it was probably, you know, a year ago where he said we cannot rescue our way out of this problem. And that's true. And, you know, we rescuing a victim, a girl, a boy is rewarding in every way, not just for us, but especially for them. But the reality is we have to put away those who are committing the crime, you know, we have to turn them over to the justice system and see that it works. And those systems are often very broken. I mean, we've worked in and we work in countries where those systems are broken and we're trying to, you know, improve those systems or work within them and get the maximum penalty that we can for these people. And, you know, sometimes that kind of I have to say when it comes to cyber crimes against minors, against children, sometimes people are maybe tempted to think that that's not that that's not as serious as a crime, as you know, the actual evidence of finding the person in the actor in a in a trafficking moment in a club or nightclub or sex club. But Americans have to know that when they feed their desire for pornography, especially child pornography, that behind that image is a real little girl, you know, a real life that's being completely and utterly destroyed. And it's not just and there and there's a lot of hands involved in that, a lot of criminal hands involved in that process. And it's destroying not only that little girl, but it's destroying potentially even her family who doesn't know that's going on or is or is participating in it because of economical situations, whatever it is. You know, and I wish Americans began to grasp that concept that, man, the things on our phone and the things on the Internet and the things on Facebook and the images on social media are real victims. And, you know, it's so important we don't participate in that. Yeah, I hate we got to go to a break.

As usual, we're we got way more to talk about. We have time, but we'll be right back from this new country with the Lantern Rescue out there doing it this week. Lantern Rescue is a USA based organization that conducts international rescue operations for people suffering from human trafficking. Lantern specializes in sending former U.S. Special Operation law enforcement and intelligence personnel to partner with host nations and assist them in creating specialized units to combat ongoing security problems such as genocide, terrorism and human trafficking.

As a nonprofit charity, they offer services free of charge to their host nations. Human trafficking has grown into the second largest criminal activity in the world, reaching an estimated 150 billion dollars in annual activity. Lantern Rescue has developed rapidly to combat trafficking. Lantern operates through a trained international network in order to rescue women and children from sex and labor slavery and facilitates holistic aftercare services. They're gearing up for operations right now, and you can go to lanternrescue.org to see how you can support them financially.

Welcome back to Lantern Rescue today. We are in a new country, new officials that we're working with, with some gigantic issues that are being uncovered. And for our listeners, Mark, can you kind of take when we're talking about these cyber crimes, we want to get the full impact. It's not just this is not light porn here.

Yeah, unfortunately, it's not. It's for that particular case, which is very normal to many cases, it is violent crimes against these girls and it's sexually assaulting them and then sharing that live on the internet or, you know, the dark web. And so, and it's being repeated, not once a week, but all day long, all night long, you know, it's multiple victims. And so, you know, the good work of the prosecutor in that country, maybe TC can kind of share about him and our purpose in being there. And we're going to talk about a few things that I was absolutely, the team was absolutely impressed with the guy that we're talking to. Number one, his energy level was super high.

Okay. Like he was resolute in doing his job to fight this. He was gracious enough to have us in there to take time out of his day to bring us in. But in the end, he said, we have to do something like here is a seriously good guy who really wants to do something. He talked repeatedly about helping his country and holding back this, this tide of evil. So I think that's important for people to know that we do work with great people.

This guy's not friction. He's, he's completely on board with doing the work. Yeah.

That's, you know, and, and I'm sure somewhat overwhelmed, no doubt in the midst of that rhyme arm. Yeah. You know, Alan and I were just talking during the break about finding our purpose there and he kind of shared some good thoughts that I'd love for him to share on the radio.

Yeah. So, uh, you know, we're always looking for the purpose and like, you know, what, what's God put us here for and what it is, those things that we need to do to, to fulfill those purposes set before us. And in this case, this individual, you know, he was on doing his purpose. He was doing the job that he was called to do by the Lord. And he was coming up short in some areas and that's the area that we came in and were able to assist in that for fulfilling our purpose in the case where this individual needs people that are certified to use the equipment to get the prosecution. So, um, it's not always, you know, physical acts of going in and doing raids or combating those things. It's, it's some of the smallest details God looks at, you know, and those purposes are found in those small details.

You just gotta be open and willing to see them. And in this case, he acknowledged his, his weakness. We, uh, we're opened our eyes to our potential, fulfilling the purpose he had for us in this case, which was bringing these people with the certifications and helping. And Robbie, you know, it's, uh, lantern has been trying to work its way out of a job that I think that's all of our goal, right? Uh, and so it's important to put for us to help men and women, uh, that got put in these positions to prosecute these cases and, and, uh, go after these, these evil people. Um, it's important for us to give them the resources and make their program sustainable so that we can walk out of here and they can continue doing this program without us. You know, I know in previous episodes you guys talked about some government officials that we've had friction with and it's, um, those programs, you know, we try to make them as sustainable as possible, but it's so refreshing to come here and find a prosecutor that says enough is enough. Um, this is what I need.

I've got all the, all the will I've got, you know, the wind in my sails, let's get this done, but this is what I need to get it, you know, past the, the, uh, goalpost. And so it's, uh, it's really refreshing. It's nice. Yeah. I mean, it's just, it is. And you know, I'm sure that every single case that gets prosecuted, you know, that, that, that we're all rejoicing in that. So, um, TC, can you put your kind of spiritual take on this for us? Yeah. Mark and I were talking about this earlier, you know, one of the, there were four categories, um, that this prosecutor put his cases in.

Um, there was a one, two and a three, and then the third or the fourth one was E for enticed. And that, that word kind of struck a chord with me because James talks about, you know, we're all drawn away and enticed by our own lust of times. And a lot of times Satan kind of hits us with, you know, we have legitimate desires, but he entices us to fulfill them in an illegitimate way. But then he doesn't tell us that once we've given into that, as he further says in James, that we're, we're then enslaved. Once we start down that path, we're enslaved. And that's exactly what happens, as Mark said, that pornography, child pornography, human trafficking, we actually become enslaved. And there's no, there's no bottom to the depravity in this area.

There has to be a clean break. There has to be salvation. But I just, that word enticed is very telling in this particular case.

Oh, isn't it? And you know, Mark, people just don't realize how prolific the evil can get if, as they feed the problem, right? I don't think anybody expects to find themselves chasing imagery or participating in sexually assaulting a child, you know, but it is a place that the human heart goes. And as TC said, there's no age. It doesn't stop at violating a 12 year old. It doesn't stop at nine. Men and women who participate in human trafficking, whether it's through cyber crimes or whether it's through, you know, sex tourism or, you know, whatever it may be. The heart is deceitfully wicked.

Who can know it? And, you know, what we're ultimately fighting is that, you know, and salvation is the answer. And we hope that the rescues that we participate in, whether it's through the internet or whether it's physically participating in a raid, we hope that all of that is saturated with the gospel and that we're able to see that child given the gospel from someone who cares, you know, and sometimes that's straight from us.

I, you know, I went and stood outside TC and I've done it before. We've stood outside a group of girls that we just rescued and got a translator and said, you know, listen, we know you're going to aftercare, but we have a, we have a message to tell you. And of course, you know, we partner and work through aftercare partners who are faith based and give the gospel, but that is the solution to this problem. I know Christians, we like to say that's the solution to everything, you know, but it truly is the solution. We look at our own country and what's happening. And, you know, people say, what are we going to do with America? You know, we need a revival.

We need, we need salvation. You know, the victims and the perpetrators, undoubtedly. And Austin, as I was processing what you guys have been sharing today, you know, as Wren goes through law school now, she's getting some tools that help. But I hadn't even thought that because, you know, you guys are in a third world country, yet the legal systems are, are fairly competent. If they're requiring somebody to be certified in this equipment before their testimony is legitimate, you know, it sounds like they have a fairly sophisticated legal system, even in these third world countries. And you guys are being able to navigate through that there with land and rescue.

Hey Robbie, it's Austin. So that is a hit or miss depending on where we are. The more developed the country is, the better their judicial processes.

This country in particular is pretty far down the line. We work in other countries that you can't even get a straight answer on what the law is, what is illegal, what isn't illegal. I come from a law enforcement background and it's, you know, in the United States, we have elements of a crime.

Those elements must be met to be able to find, you know, arrest somebody for that crime or to be found guilty of that crime. And in a lot of places that we work, that's just not the case. It's kind of a roll of the dice of, you know, what happens. So it's one of, I think, Lantern's skill sets, probably one of our best skill sets, is that we can roll with the punches and just kind of, we have to figure out what the best way to work within those judicial processes are in those individual countries. And sometimes it's frustrating and other times it's easier, like it is here. And like I said with my last comment was, it's refreshing to come into a country that you have a functioning judicial system that actually gets prosecutions and actually puts people in prison for decades. The one case that Mark was talking about, you know, the prosecutors going after 20 years for that individual. So it is refreshing.

That is awesome. And so, Mark, you know, with just a couple minutes left, I know our listeners would love to know, okay, in this country, which we can't tell you where they are right now, but we can all be praying, right, Mark? And so every country has their own opportunity. I'm wondering, you know, with that kind of caseload, how would you suggest we pray for them? So in this country, they've got new administration and it's, you know, or you can imagine a new administration, new president and all that, that there's initiatives that are coming in place.

And, you know, this seems to be one of them. And I think we can make a huge dent, you know, obviously since the pandemic, I'm not sure we mentioned this, in this particular country, the caseload has increased by 400 percent, 400 percent since March, just in that, you know, cyber crimes against children unit. That's the demand. So we need that stopped.

We got to turn that faucet off, you know, and the way to do that is to start knocking out, you know, the cases and prosecuting. And so, and that puts the message out along with the new administration and their initiatives and their goals of ending it as well in this country. And so timing, God gave us, you know, tremendous timing showing up right now. And we would ask that you would continue to pray for his favor as TC mentioned at the beginning of the program, we've got significant meetings today with other, you know, administration, part of the administration and then other departments. So, and kind of pulling all those together, we're that group that steps in and seems to pull all of those people together into one round table and that we need that favor from God that people see our hearts and realize, you know, we're here to help, we're here to rescue a child.

So just continue to pray for God's favor. That is beautiful. We are so grateful for an opportunity to partner with you guys every week. And so looking forward to next week's show as they'll still be in the same country, I would imagine, won't you be? Well, thank you, Mark. And Austin now, our new addition, as well as TC and Alan, always great to hear from you guys. And we will be praying. This is the Truth Network.