On Being an Abolitionist: Freeing children from sex trafficking | with Doug Osmond of Operation Underground Railroad (TLBP #14)

Today’s episode I had the privilege to interview someone who is a part of an organization that is fighting to free 2 million enslaved children in sex trafficking, a 30 billion dollar a year industry. Doug Osmond is the Director of Corporate Sponsorships for Operation Underground Railroad. Only three years old and their organization has already freed over 500 children from the horror of sex trafficking and put nearly 200 traffickers behind bars with the help of local authorities here in the United States and in countries around the globe. Doug shares his experience and raw emotions of being a part of an undercover jump team made up of former Navy Seals, CIA agents, and Special Ops as they took down a trafficking ring in the Dominican Republic and the feelings that overwhelmed him as he oversaw the safety of 26 children ages 11-17. Doug also shares the huge process that goes into these operations including prevention, investigation, execution of the jumps, prosecution of traffickers, and rehabilitation of the children – which is where the real rescue begins. He shares what parents can do to help protect their children against becoming a victim of traffickers. We also talk about the documentary The Abolitionists by the producer of Schlinder’s List which will be released for one night only on May 16th at a theater in your area. This film follows Operation Underground Railroad through the process of their operations and brings to light one of the fastest growing criminal enterprises on the planet. We will share how you can be a part of this event locally. It will help you to see that there is something we can do to bring hope to these children!

Want to know if this episode is for you? This episode is perfect for citizens who are ready to hear how they can help bring awareness to such a crucial issue as human trafficking, for parents who want to learn how they can help prevent their children from being targeted by traffickers, and for those who don’t want to let the bad guys win.

What is this episode about? In this episode you will learn about:

Doug’s background as the son of Alan Osmond and a touring musician in Osmond Second Generation
why he transitioned from music to the non-profit arena
how he met Tim Ballard the founder of Operation Underground Railroad and the role he played in starting the organization
why he feels that this is his calling and why he will never do anything else for a job
how in two years they have rescued nearly 500 victims and arrested nearly 200 traffickers
their emphasis on prevention, how to identify problems in the making
how they always work with local authorities and how they have given them tools to do this on their own
the huge process that is involved in an operation from vetting local authorities, to investigation, execution of the jumps, arresting of traffickers, and rehabilitation of the victims
the real rescue begins with the rehabilitation of these kids
the jumps being run by former Navy Seals, CIA agents, Homeland Security, and Special Ops
why Tim Ballard, a former operative in the CIA and Homeland Security, began the organization
the statistics of sex trafficking worldwide and how it is the fastest growing criminal enterprise on the planet
how the organization has started a movement amongst foreign governments to infiltrate and prosecute sex traffickers
how good people don’t even know that there is a problem and how OUR is helping to bring awareness
how the documentary The Abolitionists came to be and its role in awareness and prosecuting traffickers
how you can buy tickets to the one night showing of The Abolitionists
what the movie is about and how it focuses on the light and the hope and gives dignity to these children
what happens to the children after they are rescued
his raw and powerful experience of being on a jump himself in the Dominican Republic and how it changed his life
how these kids end up in the traffickers hands
what countries they have had operations in
how you can get alerts on completed operations by texting “updates” to 51555
what to do if you suspect someone is a victim
how you can help prevent your child from being targeted by traffickers
how Doug handled when his 14 year old son came home and told him that he had seen pornography on his friend’s phone
how you can help this cause, how you can become an Abolitionist, how you can volunteer