Confronting Human Trafficking

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And now, here's today's Truth Talk Live host. Mm a multi. billion dollar industry spanning different countries across the globe. involving high profile players to low profile players. No, this is not Elon Musk.

This is not Jeff Bezos. Unfortunately, This is human trafficking. A scourge on our society, modern day slavery. But thankfully, we have an organization with the Invictus Project that's fighting against this kind of tragedy. We also have a representative with that with the with the organization her name is miss whitney miller and she's on the show today Whitney Miller, thank you for being on Truth Talk Live.

Hey, Jamal.

So glad to be here. Thanks for having me, and thanks for giving a platform for this issue because it's not an easy one to discuss. But as believers and as Christians, we have a space and a role to play in this. Amen to that.

So With some people not really knowing the complexity of human trafficking, as you told me many times before and other people before, this is not your guy in the white van just going around looking for kids to scoop up. Tell us all the complexities and what human trafficking is all about in modern day today. All right, well, we only have an hour, so no, but you are right. There is the warning beforehand. Parents of small kids, this is going to be a heavy topic, so just give me that fair warning.

If it's not something you find suitable for kids, you know, turn it to the podcast later on when they're in bed. But this is going to be a pretty serious topic. But I just wanted to give that warning out first. But, Whitney, please go ahead. Absolutely, guard their hearts and guard their minds, right?

It's part of what we're talking about.

So, definitely, if you have small children, this is not a discussion that you probably want to entertain right now, but I would encourage you to throw your earbuds in later and listen to the podcast.

So, yeah, so when you talk about the complexities of trafficking, you know, as complex as it is, it is also simple in some forms, right? And so, when we talk about trafficking, we can't miss the opportunity to talk about exploitation because exploitation precedes it comes before trafficking every time, right? There is a level of exploitation that occurs. And so when we talk about this, the Invictus project itself partners with law enforcement across the state of North Carolina to combat the exploitation and trafficking of children. And so that is our focus in this space.

But we also see that the things that we are we are seeing and dealing with are the same across the nation and also you know run similar in other countries as well but you're right so much of the time we end up myth-busting this right because oftentimes when we hear the term trafficking the first things that come to mind are certain movies that you know may show um certain situations that create that idea image of trafficking a child chained in a basement a white van rolling through a neighborhood and kidnapping kids um and selling them on you know the black market That is where we begin to frame this. Unfortunately, what that does is it allows us to only see this fight one way. And also, that same way in which we see it is not what we're seeing partnered with law enforcement and what law enforcement is seeing on the day-to-day. It is actually much more, honestly, I say it's much scarier because it's right underneath our noses. Prior to 2019, okay, maybe, maybe that's a little bit of how it was framed out, a little bit more what's happening there.

But where, you know, you had to, and honestly, actually, I would say we probably haven't had to worry about white mans as much. Since you and I were young, right? We grew up in the strangest danger where our parents were like, hey, don't pet the puppy that the stranger offers you, don't take candy from a stranger and stay away from white vans.

Now, what our kids are facing is much different. Why? Because our children aren't outside playing on playgrounds anymore.

So, if I'm a predator, why am I going to go where my prey does not exist? Exactly. You know, I'm going to shift gears. And, you know, if there were still kids on the playground pre-2019, pre-COVID days, you know, maybe you still had some creditors showing up there. But after 2019, every kid from kindergarten to college had a device handed to them.

It's what we had to do, right, to make it through that time frame when it came to school or whatever that looked like. And so every kid shifted online instead of outside. If it hadn't already happened, it really set forth there. Just to throw you some numbers to help understand that, in twenty nineteen, the state of North Carolina had just under 5,000 cyber tips or tips of children being exploited online. At the end of last year, We closed out with 52,000 cyber tips in the state of North Carolina.

In North Carolina alone. That is unbelievable. Just in North Carolina. You know, this is not. This is not a slowdown fight.

This is a grab your gear. and get ready to fight because it's happening, it's happening all around us, and it's happening in our backyard. And it's not coming around our neighborhood in a white van. It's coming in the form of a cell phone, a tablet, a you name it, device that allows people to connect to their children.

So considering that It's hard to get away from these devices now. In school, day-to-day life. How can we as parents protect our kids from the predator going on our kids' devices now. How can we protect our kids from that?

Well, you know, if I was if I'm being completely honest with you, my Encouragement would be delay as long as you can handing them a device.

Now I say that also knowing that the average age of a child first receiving a device, you want to take a guess at it? Sure. Average age, I'll say seven years old. Oh, I wish. Two years old is the average age of a kid first receiving a device.

Now, as a parent, it usually comes in like a tablet form, right? We're giving them a tablet to let them watch YouTube Kids so we don't have to reheat our coffee for the fourth time today, right? That is how it usually begins, or the cell phone handed to keep them quiet during dinner so we can enjoy a hot meal, right? That's usually how that process begins. Unfortunately, what we don't realize is our kids are learning a lot.

And if you hand a two-year-old a phone, I promise you, they can figure out how to swipe through things and find your photos. And it's crazy what they're capable of doing because they watch us and they mimic what they see us doing.

Now, what happens when you throw that three-year-old on YouTube and they end up finding content that is probably not inappropriate? It's probably not appropriate for a three-year-old, right?

So, and we'll dig into that one a little bit deeper. But when we talk about safeguarding our children, first step: delay handing them a device to begin with. If you know there are sharks in the water, don't let your kids swim in that pool.

Okay.

So that is first off foremost. And there's a lot of great parent applications that you can put on different devices, and we can talk through some of those in a little bit. But I would say the most vital thing that parents must do is be actively engaged in the lives of their children. Like I said, as complex as this fight is, there is simplicity to it as well. And it requires us actively engaging in the lives of our children.

And I know. We often think, well, I'm engaged in my kids' life, I know what's going on. Yeah, I hear that, but when they walk into the room, are you scrolling? and they're not able to engage with you? Right, are there things that we're doing preventing our children from actually coming to us with hard stuff?

Exactly. And that kind of leads me to a question that I hear parents say: well, I just give my kid the device, and like you said, I'm going to go off and do cooking, I'm going to go off and clean the. clean the house, but to that parent that might Give you some feedback. Oh, I don't want to be the invasive parent. I have a good relationship with my kid.

I'm going to keep it that way. If I get invasive, my kid's going to push back and I'm going to lose that relationship. I trust my kid to do whatever online. What would you say to that kind of scenario? Oh, gosh.

Well, and you know, let me preface all of this by saying I am not here to parent shame anyone because I have made my fair share of mistakes along the way.

So, as I step on your toes, listeners, trust me, mine have been danced all over. But once you know, once you hear this conversation, you are then responsible with what you do with that information, right? And so, I'm just here to share some of the truths that we're seeing behind this. What I would say to that parent is: yes, I get it. It is so difficult.

That's why I say delay, right? Because once that item is handed over and you then become aware of what is actually going on in the world around our children. Oh, I think we're coming into a break. You are good. Can't get on tight.

Yeah, I didn't have to jump in and cut you off. Guys, call in if you have any questions, comments, 866-348-7884. Again, the number is 866-348-7884. We're talking about trafficking. Call in.

Truth, talk lie. You're listening to the Truth Network and TruthNetwork.com. Welcome back to Truth Talk Live. We're talking about trafficking. Again, for parents of young kids, Uh you might want to switch the channel, tune in later on the app on Truth Talk Live or TruthNetwork.com.

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So To get back to the topic of human trafficking, Whitney, we were talking about... Being invasive and getting involved in our kids' lives, and kind of being that person that says, Well, look, um. You're my kid. I love you. But I'm going to get into your privacy.

Please continue on that thought that you had before the break. Yeah, no, you know, I think what we have to remember is if we have created a narrative up until the point where our children are then asking for devices that, hey, we are going to be involved in your life. We are going to ask hard questions. We are going to have serious conversations. If we have given space to that prior to ever handing our children a device, then that conversation becomes a little bit easier and a little less aggressive.

But now, what if you're tuning in today and you're like, oh my gosh, I can't believe all the things you're telling me my children are exposed to online. What I do with that, what do I do with that now?

Well, it goes back to having those conversations. I'm not telling you to run home and take your kid's phone away. What I am telling you to do is sit down with them and say, hey, you know what? I probably have not been as involved in this part of your life as I should be. And from what I'm hearing this crazy lady Whitney on the radio today say, you're welcome to use me as your punching bag.

But say, you know, after hearing some of the things that I'm learning. Teens and kids are being exposed to. I really think we should have some conversation around this. Is there any time you have felt like?

something you've seen or something someone has said has made you feel a little off or concerned or You know, uh ask the hard questions. I I gotta say, when I was thirteen, I remember, and we talked about invasive parenting, right? When I was 13, I remember asking my dad for, not asking my dad, telling my dad I needed privacy. And I'm pretty sure I slammed the door behind me when I said it. And the next thing I knew, the door came off the hinges to my room for three months.

All right. You know, so and I know, right, right. And I know we hesitate in doing things like that. But I think we cannot ignore the God given role we have been given as a parent. And it is a protector over our children.

We are that safeguard over our children until they move and leave the house to become their own safeguard over their families, right? We are that shelter, we are that place. And I think when we allow societal norms to step into that space, it's dangerous, right? Because we shouldn't look like the world, act like the world, talk like the world.

Sorry, go ahead. Yeah. No, no, yeah. I mean, it's just, I think I understand how hard it is to step into that space for your child if you haven't necessarily operated out of that. I think it really is all about how you do it.

Do it with grace. Do it with love. Do it with truth. Let them know I'm not here to punish you for this. And I am so sorry I was not aware of the things that were going on.

But I'm here now, and there are some healthy boundaries we got to put in play. And if it means I check your phone, I mean, you should have the password. If your kid lives in your house, And especially if they're under the age of 18 and you're paying for their phone, or even if they are paying for their phone, you should have access to their passwords and their phone, and you should be checking it. That's exactly right. But also, in the same breath, you may not have to check it if you're having those really honest conversations with your kids.

That's right. And that leads me to the other kind of. Sensitive topic about the culture w we're in.

So you as a parent, you can have all the ba boundaries and all the protections, you can do all the monitoring you can for your kid at home on on their devices, but they go next door to Johnny's house or Jane's house where there are no restrictions. That's an issue there. But the question I want to pose is broader and Uh maybe you can answer it, maybe you can't, but I want to ask you while you're here. If they go next door or if they go out to the mall, And they have no restrictions there. They can get on somebody else's phone because their phone has restrictions.

They can get on somebody else's phone. They can access all the YouTube. They can access all the internet. They can access all the movies. And as we know, The FCC Which used to monitor this stuff is not really monitoring things now.

I mean, I turn on YouTube right now, I hear all kinds of words. I see all kinds of content, I see all kinds of sexualization online.

So what can we do? to combat that. That might be a large issue, but address that if you could please. Absolutely.

Well, you know, I love that you said that. The, you know, the things that moderated those. Those TV shows and those music and all this content that's on media has shifted, right? And so, even this is an interesting one. If anyone ever wants to deep dive into this, even what is considered PG-13 content today is not the same as what it was 20-30 years ago.

And so, as a parent, if I'm assuming, okay, well, you know, this Disney movie was actually PG when I was. 10, right? If I'm assuming that's the same kind of PG as the new kids cartoon that comes out, well, then I'm already being deceived because that has shifted and changed without really us knowing or it being broadcasted.

So pay attention to those things. Don't trust the ratings. View the content in advance. But man, you hit on something so important for parents to understand. Kids will be kids in many ways, right?

And so from I taught high school prior to entering into the counter trafficking world. And you see it firsthand when you sit in the classroom. Kids would log into their friend's Snapchat create a profile that day and delete it by the end of the day. Just to feel fitting, felt like they fit in, so they could be a part of the conversation, but they didn't want mom and dad to know, right? And so that is why I say, more than any parental block or app, having honest conversations with your children is paramount.

It really is. You have got to be able to talk with your kids and connect with your kids in a way that they know. A, that you're there for them, and B, that you're aware of the things that are going on in the world around them. We can't keep our kids from doing every bad thing. I made plenty of mistakes as a teenager.

I'm sure you probably made your share as well, right? Definitely. Our kids are gonna stumble and fall, but how we pick them up matters and it sets them up. for the next part of their journey, you know? And so yeah, I think I wish there was a perfect way to protect our kids and wrap them in bubbles and all the things, right?

But that's not the reality of it.

So how do we prepare them, you know, without being paranoid, without being in freak out mode when something goes wrong? Because really, that's why our kids don't run to us and tell us these things. Their first concern is that we're going to freak out and take their phone or, you know, just ground them or the same things we worried about as kids growing up too, minus, you know, us having cell phones tease.

So you know, and in talking with kids, Jamal, we do We do a team survey when we speak at different schools and youth groups and across across the four counties that we operate in. We operate in Forsyth, Davidson, Alamance and Randolph. But we share in other spaces as well. And that team survey has been invaluable because what it has given us is honest Insight into what our teams are dealing with. And do you want to know something that just tears my heart out?

Yeah, you got about 30 seconds. But go ahead. Wait, wait, wait. Nope, there's music right there.

So you're going to have to hold that right there. Hold on one second, Whitney. We'll be right back. For those that are going to lose us, We're going to be transitioning over to other markets. You can check us out on the Truth Network app and truthnetwork.com and on your radio, 8:30 a.m.

97.7. But we'll be back in other markets. Stay tuned. Don't touch that dial. Truth Talk Live.

You're listening to the Truth Network and TruthNetwork.com. Welcome back to Trees Talk Live. We're talking about human trafficking. Please uh Put the kids away for this one. This is going to be a heavy adult topic, but it's something that we have to talk about as individuals and as Christians.

We can't hide our light. We begout to shine a light in every form of society, especially, in my opinion, especially with human trafficking. It just touches so many different areas. Frederick Douglass even said, I'd rather fix a. broken child than to fix a broken adult.

And a lot of adults have been Through different times, different types of abuse. But if we stop that before it even starts. then not only will we save a lot of damage, save a lot of trauma. But we will cut down a lot of crime as well. As I said at the beginning of the show, there's a multi-billion dollar industry spanning across different countries, all across the globe, high-profile players to low-profile players.

So, this is a huge task, but we have Whitney Miller with us with the Invictus Project, and she is fighting the fight along with that group. Whitney, we were talking about. Being invasive into your kids' lives, electronic devices. We're talking about the society that pushes a lot of sexualization out there for the public. We're talking about the FCC and how they've just been totally lax on the content that's out there.

If you could pick up on what you were finishing out with the last segment. Yeah, I hope we kept our listeners on the edge of their seats with that one. Yeah, yeah, me too. Yeah, you know, we talk about, we were talking about the team survey that we've been able to put out to teens as we've been speaking across the state of North Carolina. And one of the things when it comes to just parent engagement, right?

Parents being involved in the lives of their children. And I will say, I think the greatest lie my generation bought is that we are engaged with our children, yet we sit there and stare at our phones. We are in the same room with our kids, but we're busy scrolling and they're busy trying to be kids, and we don't give them the attention they need often. But that has been really reflective in the conversations with teams because 75% of our teams answered this one question very similar along the same lines. And the question was, what is something you wish your parents would ask or say to you?

And their overall answer was I wish my parents would ask me if I'm okay. Uh h hold on for w one second, Whitney. Hold on. For the people that did that did not catch that. Please repeat that question and answer to that teen survey that the teens fill out themselves.

Please repeat what you just said. And it is a totally anonymous survey, so they have no reason to alter their answers to fit any kind of narrative. But the question is: what is one thing you wish your parents would say or do? What is that one thing? If there was anything we could tell parents on your behalf, what is that one thing?

And overwhelmingly, by 75% of the kids that we've surveyed, have said some form or shape of this answer, this response, I wish my parents would ask me if I'm okay. There you go, folks. Uh, that should be eye-opening, mind-blowing, right there. I heard from, I think this was uh, was focused on the family to where. They said this might have been Added or aimed towards that specifically.

But whatever the background was. They were saying Kids want their parents involved. They might bug back, they might talk. But ultimately, they see it as a form of love. when their parents are involved.

You look at the the kids who come from the broken homes. where the parents are not involved. They want that attention. They need, they crave that attention. Even though they might not like some of your rules, they are glad deep down that you are there, that you are providing, providing a house, food, attention to them.

So don't take that initial scoff as this is damaging the relationship. Look, you have been given that kid by God. I said on the break on. The live stream that I'm wearing a God's property shirt saying that we're all God's property, including our kids. and we have to be good stewards of what we've been given.

So if God gave you children, You have to be a good steward of your children. And that leads me to something else, Whitney. Yeah. Speaking on uh stepping on toes. Caleb Iderley has helped me go down to the school board.

and get involved there. And that led me to go to the commissioner's board and led me to go down to city council. I haven't been down to city council yet, but I'm thinking about doing that. That's on the local level. We can also do things on a Uh state level.

on a federal level, on a national level. But, and this is kind of a multifaceted question. Do you think this? topic is getting enough attention. If not.

What can we do to change that to where it's getting more attention? And how can we get more of a society to where we're getting the word out to our churches, to everybody? What can we do to push the word out? And does that involve getting involved into your local school board, politics, and whatnot? Right.

Yeah, I love that question because everybody has a role to play in protecting our children. Everyone.

Now, we as parents have the highest role in that. But as a society, everyone is responsible for protecting and garning the next generation. And so when we talk about things like our local government function and, you know, is there enough awareness out there? Here's what I would say. The term trafficking in many ways has been hijacked on a lot of levels.

And for some reason, it has derailed the conversation of exploitation.

Now, we combat both of those things in the Invictus Project, but the exploitation piece just kind of gets. looked over at a government level and a localized level because the term trafficking has garnered so much emotional pull, we don't pay attention to exploitation. Exploitation is what occurs before trafficking happens.

So if we want to be proactive in this fight, the voice for exploitation has to get louder. You know I mentioned that there were 52,000 cases that came through the state of North Carolina last year. 52,000 cases of reported child exploitation or cyber tips online came through our state.

Now of those, there are about two hundred forty four ish investigators, ICAC investigators, ICAC affiliates in the state of North Carolina that can handle those cases. Why? Because they need resources. There you go. Because our government functions, they need resources, right?

And so for us as a nonprofit, and I'm going to address another question I know we were going to get to as well. What is the role for nonprofits in this space?

Well, it is not to go kick down doors and arrest people because we don't have that jurisdiction as the public sector, you know? But our law enforcement does.

So how do we get behind them? And that's what the Invictus Project has done in stepping up and partnering with law enforcement. We're providing them things like technology, tools, cameras, software, things that they need on a daily basis that they are not always capable of supplying within their departments, within their offices.

So we're meeting those needs to keep our investigators at the tip of the spear, to keep those investigators able to accomplish anything necessary. To protect and safeguard our children because money should never be a reason our children are not protected.

So when we kind of bridge that gap between the private and public sector, you know, we are stepping in where sometimes the functions of government or government funding are lacking. But man, wouldn't it be great if they were fully funded and they didn't need us anymore? We could just focus on educating. There you go. And to jump in.

Yeah, that's a very good point. As a social worker or has a social work background. It's been said to us that we want to work our way out of a job. And, you know, I feel that's the same way with you all. And you touched on a very important point that I want to follow up on about how law enforcement needs resources.

But before I go any further, we're going to be going to another break.

So I want to put out the number real quick in case anybody wants to call. That's going to be 866-348-7884. 866-348-7884. Call about any kind of question, any kind of scenario you want to ask about, any statements. Do you have any stories you want to share?

866-348-7884. We'd love to hear from you.

Now, I'm a political guy, but I try to shoot down the middle. We all know where I lean politically, but you know, it's Christ first, you know, that allows my political views.

So when we had the defund the police campaign a little while ago. When we had get rid of ice or abolish ice. You just mentioned how local law enforcement needs resources, how they need more resources. This is not just about. rounded up protesters.

This is about protecting kids.

Now The law enforcement agency is broken up. You have your local law enforcement, you have your. Federal law enforcement. I'm speaking plainly. I'm pretty sure it's a lot more complex than that.

But when we have people. on the ground and people also in Congress saying we need to defund the police. We have people talking about get rid of ICE. ICE is also going after childhood predators. We have people talking about the Epstein files and how they're against pedophiles.

Well, who do you think is catching these guys? You know, it's not your neighbor, it's the law enforcement.

Now, law enforcement is made up of people. People are flawed. It doesn't mean that we get rid of the system, it means that we punish those who are doing wrong, but then you correct the system as much as you can because we need these people out in the streets going against these childhood predators. Not childhood predators, but child predators.

So I'm glad that you said that we need people that We have to have law enforcement that needs funding, local and on a national basis.

Now, with that being said. If these guys need funding, Um what can you say when People are saying defund the police and abolish ICE. What would your response be to that?

Well, honestly, my response would be when it comes to protecting children, it's not a political matter, it's a person matter. It doesn't matter what side of the aisle you stand on, it is the fact of the matter that we are all called to protect children.

So it should never be a, you know, it should never be a one side versus the other. This is a call to every single person to step up and step in, no matter your affiliation, right? That shouldn't be, that shouldn't be the issue that withholds us from protecting kids, no matter what side of it you sit on, you know? And I think we have to come to that understanding as a country and as humankind, you know what I mean? Like our kids are our next generation.

And so that is one thing I will say about trafficking and exploitation is it should never be political. It shouldn't. It should be protection, period. And our law enforcement does need our help, you know, in that regard. Like we want to be able to ensure that they have all the things they need.

But again, that should be a function of government across the board. And, you know, we just get to step into that gap because we see the gap and we want to be an instrument of hope and help to our law enforcement partners.

So exactly.

Now, I painted a pretty, or we painted a pretty big picture, more so you than me.

So that person that's sitting at home in the car that has not gotten involved, first time hearing this, they might feel overwhelmed. And we have a little bit of time left.

So we're probably going to have to wait until we finish on the other side of the break here. But for that person that has never heard of this, doesn't know how they can get involved, doesn't have deep pockets, doesn't have deep networking and all that, how can they get involved? How can they help you all out? How can they help out this overall topic and this overall situation? But hey, there's a break.

We're going to have to answer that on the other side. 866-348-7884. Call us up. We'd like to hear your thoughts on this. We're talking about human trafficking.

Serious topic, but it's a topic that needs addressing. 866-348-7884. Love to hear from you. Truth Talk Live. Truth talk.

You're listening to the Truth Network and TruthNetwork.com. Welcome back to Truth Talk Live. We're talking about human trafficking. Again, put the kids away if they're listening. This is going to be a heavy topic.

We have Whitney Miller from the Invictus Project. Talking to us about anti-human trafficking. But we also have a caller, Mike. You're on Truth Talk Live. Go ahead.

Hey, Jamal, I didn't realize you had Whitney on. I just heard this is Michael's Wick. How are you doing, man? Hey, Michael. Thanks for calling in.

Yeah, I got Whitney on. It's a family reunion going on right now. Yeah, so she, I've had her on my show several times as well. But, you know, this is a topic I think that a lot of people don't want to talk about it. Um, and it's just, I don't know, maybe they, you know, it may not be as flashy as some of the other topics that are out there.

Um, but at the same time, I mean, this is something that affects a lot of people. You know, I think they're looking for the latest Uh they're looking for the latest um Whatever, you know, latest thing in the news or whatever, but this is something that is literally saving the lives of children. And I mean, to think about children who are being trafficked through sex, I mean, that is disgusting.

So I appreciate what you guys are doing. And I want to just encourage you, Whitney, to keep doing what you're doing. And Jamal, thanks a lot for having her on today. Hey, thank you. And before you go, Mike, I just want you to hear this: that we support you as well.

Mike has a show called If Not For God. It's a podcast. He's on YouTube. He also has a show here on Truth Network. He also guests hosts.

To talk live every now and then.

So, thank you, Mike, for calling in. We appreciate you. And go check out If Not Forgot. All right. Thank you, brother.

So, Whitney, we were talking before the break about what the average person can do that's not well connected, not well funded, just heard about this topic. What can they do to help out? And we have quite a few topics, and we're going to try to be rapid-fired with this. But if you could address that topic before the break. Absolutely.

First and foremost, the front line of defense will always be in your own home, and that is prevention starts with presence. You know, so be present in your home first and foremost because that eliminates part of what our law enforcement has to do on their end when you're present in your home with your children.

So that's a great way to get involved. You can also head to our website, the InvictusProject.org, backslash volunteer, and there's a bunch of information about becoming a volunteer with the Invictus Project there too.

Alright, good, good, good.

So. With One of the questions I wanted to toss out to you. This might seem kind of lowball, but this might help out a little bit. Would you be in favor of sch of school uniforms? 'Cause sometimes the the the the dress in schools can be a little little risque.

It gets shorter and tighter. A lot of times. But yeah, yeah. If everybody's wearing something that's a little bit more casual business casual, would you be in favor of something like that? I mean, I'm going to speak from my personal space on this one, and not necessarily on behalf of the Ambiguous Project, but as a parent, I appreciate that, some kind of guardrails for our kids in that regard.

But again, it is something that starts at home. If you're not cultivating that space at home and your kid shows up to school in clothes that maybe aren't necessarily appropriate for school, you got to, as a parent, you got to step into that space, right? Parent to parent, right? We know that we live in a time and a world that is very over-sexualized in every aspect. Every show you watch on Netflix, every secular song you turn on the radio, I mean, those are the things that are over-sexualized as it is, right?

And so we don't need to give or garner more space for our children to feel like their worth is determined by what they wear. And so I do think in some regard that uniforms help kind of curve that. But I think more than anything, it's a heart condition and then how you help at home in that matter. A heart condition, and thank you very much for that. I'm pretty sure the Lord was speaking through you to me because something I want to hit on before I continue personally is.

This is evil. You can talk about right and wrong all you want to, but when somebody is preying on a young child. at the age of four years old. And Doing all kinds of acts. That is just straight up evil.

You cannot convince me, you cannot spend that.

So that means evil exists. And Michael Zwick also mentioned this quote: All it takes for evil to succeed is for good men to do nothing. By Edmund Burke. That's one of my favorite quotes.

So if evil success, if evil exists, then we have to respond to that. But if we're talking about evil, then this is on a spiritual note, in my opinion. Do you think this is a spiritual battle that just goes beyond X's and O's? Absolutely, 100%. And you can't convince me otherwise.

I think it begins there. And honestly, I think the initial attack against our children is in their identity. And it's the same for us adults. If the enemy can attack our identity and cultivate in us the idea of our value being based on worldly things. We will accept that and it will garner how we look at love, acceptance, worth, and security for the rest of our lives.

Our children are up against that every single day. Their algorithms, their news feeds, their Snapchats are full of content that is trying to tell them their worth based on worldly gain. And so we have to be capable of combating that spiritually at home. right? Because we can't always be there in every situation for them.

But what we can do as parents is pour into them love, godly love, acceptance, how the Savior sees them, worth that they are priceless, bought at a cost That none of us can pay. Amen. And safe because we are their protectors, but even greater than us because we will fail them. Is a good God Almighty who is standing in protection over them in every realm possible.

So I do think that that is a spiritual war, 110%. And honestly, that's a call for the church to step into this mind. You said it before I could. I'm glad you did. Before we continue even further, give out how people can get in contact with you and what you guys are all about.

Absolutely.

We would love for you to connect with us at theinvictusproject.org. You're welcome to email me personally, Whitney at theinvictusproject.org, I-N-V-I-C-T-U-S. I know it's a little complicated. It means unconquerable.

So connect with us there. And right now we're doing a campaign. It's called Not on My Watch. It's to garner monthly donors because we need people to step into this fight every single day with us, not just here and there, but to walk this fight out with us. We also are making a statement online, and there's been social media people pulling together because, hey, what is being used for bad, we're going to turn and use for good.

We've garnered a push across social media that has parents and people stepping up and just simply saying, Hey, when it comes to child exploitation and trafficking in my community, not on my watch. Tag the Invictus Project. We'll share it out to our community base. But more than anything, we could use that financial support to help our law enforcement partners in this fight and continue educating parents and kids and people in this place, in this space. Amen to that.

And I want to have some encouraging words and a scripture you want to leave with us that will give people inspiration going forward. What would that be? Yeah. Yeah. You know, I am constantly reminded because I'll tell you, this is a difficult space to operate in day in and day out, seeing evil firsthand and what mankind is capable of outside of Christ.

But what I am reminded of is that we serve a good and faithful Lord, and there is nothing that occurs without his knowing. He is the alpha and the omega, the beginning and the end. Nothing. In this world, it happens without his knowledge and without his provision to help fight it, right? To do something different, to stand up.

And you know, I think it is an honor to be in this fight and to be in this space and know my Lord and Savior in the way that I do, because it just. It shifts how you see this. There is hope at the end of this. There's hope because we're still here, because we woke up with breath in our lungs this morning. And we can stand in this space and keep praising him, keep pointing people to him and cultivate a better world and generation for our children to grow up in.

Amen. You know how to go, lady. I mean, I'm getting chills over here listening to you talk about the. Yeah, yeah, I'm loving it. Also, I would like to.

Invite people to pray. This is a praying network. This is a praying show. We believe in the power of prayer.

So. If you all could join with me in prayer and we'll sign off before the break comes up. But Heavenly Father, I want to thank you for Whitney. I want to thank you for the Invictus Project, all the people that are bold enough to go out there and speak up and help out. For anybody sitting on the sidelines, Give them A spirit of courage, not a spirit of fear.

For you did not give us a spirit of fear. Have them to be bold enough to make that phone call, to share that post online, to have that conversation with their pastor, with their church, saying, Not on my watch, as the people of Invictus do, not on my watch. We have precious commodities, we have precious resources, precious lives to look out for. We can't afford to just sit back on the sidelines and do nothing. Many times we can do that with other topics, but not with lives, not with children.

They are innocent, they are precious.

So, Heavenly Father, we want to ask for people to get involved. We want to pray for the protection of our children, and we also want to pray for the people that are trafficking. Pray that they come to know to know the Lord. Um again, we had people talk about the Epstein files, father.

So Anybody that's involved on a political level, on a business level, have them to come out of that business. Have them to have a heart for you, to turn away from their wickedness and to. We release any kids to stop their business. And we know that you can move in mighty ways. And we ask this in your mighty name, in Jesus Christ's name.

And also, anybody who's not saved, we want them to get saved because that's one of the main ways that we change this around is for people to get saved and follow all the ways of Jesus Christ. And we give you all the love and the praise in Jesus Christ's name. We pray. Whitney, do you have anything that you want to? Thank you.

Thank you. Appreciate that. Do you have anything you want to leave us with before we get out of here? I would say as your listener base continues to pray, continue to keep our law enforcement and your prayers as well, because honestly, they see the worst of the worst day in and day out.

So just, you know, a hedge of protection around their family, their hearts, their eyes, and what they have to deal with and endure on a daily basis. And I would encourage listeners to head over to our website and learn more about what this looks like for their children day in and day out. Good deal. I appreciate you. Thank you for making space for this conversation.

I know it's not an easy one to have. It's not. And right on queue, there's the break, a listen to the show on the podcast. I want to thank my guest, Whitney Miller with the Invictus Project. Check out the app, Truth Network app.

Check out TruthNetwork.com. We got some great programming coming up behind us. A truth network is a 24-hour, 24-7 programming deal check out all the good programming thank you for listening truth talk live truth talk