Tebow shared statistics that shocked the “Flagrant” podcast hosts. More than 50 million people are trapped in sex slavery, he said, and America is “the No. 1 buyer of boys and girls around the world.” America is also “the No. 1 buyer in peer-to-peer sharing” of child sexual abuse material (CSAM).
The top offender type, Tebow said, is biological fathers. And almost two-thirds of victims come from the foster care system, making them especially vulnerable because they seek belonging.
After showing maps of IP addresses that recently downloaded and shared CSAM in New York state alone, Tebow argued that law enforcement is undermanned and needs better technology. “When you defund [the police],” he argued, “you’re not actually caring for these boys and girls” who are being victimized.
Tim Tebow on Providing Safety and Hope
When asked how people can combat trafficking and exploitation, Tebow urged parents to protect their kids online. He compared the internet to a playground filled with “hundreds and hundreds of pedophiles or groomers that want to hurt your child.” Creating phones that won’t access online pornography is also important, Tebow said, because it prevents “sextortion.”
Despite the dark topic, Tebow said he also sees lots of good and knows that God is good. “I feel like there is a battle every single day,” he said. “But what I also get to see is not just the evil, but it’s what happens when light and darkness meet. Light wins every time.”
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Becoming the father of a daughter has helped Tebow understand the vulnerability of young children and the need to protect and care for them. Societies that don’t value all lives decline, he explained, pointing to Nazi Germany’s euthanasia program.
“Nobody is less than,” Tebow said. He continued:
Everyone is made in God’s image, and they’re worthy of love, and they’re valuable to him. So they should be valuable to us. I think that’s something our society, whether you believe [in God] or not, you should believe that every life has value. Not just when they do something that is valuable for you or to you. That’s where we’re at right now: When someone does something that we don’t hold as valuable, we devalue them. And that’s a slippery slope.
Another key factor is respect, according to Tebow. Even when people have different opinions, he said, we can choose to respect and love one another.
