World's Creepiest Fairytale Tells Story of Child Sexual Exploitation

by Amanda Kloer · 2010-10-20 14:48:00 UTC
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Can a fairytale capture the disturbing nature of the growing trend of child sex trafficking in America? The new film The Candy Shop, a fairytale-style parable about child sexual exploitation sure does. And it's part of a growing movement to bring awareness to the issue in Atlanta, a city some are calling the child sex trafficking capitol of America.

The Candy Shop, a film by Whitestone Motion Pictures, is scheduled for release next month. Based on the trailer, it promises to be one of the creepiest films about child sex trafficking ever made. And that's saying something.  Is it possible to pack all the emotional wallop of the child sex trafficking epidemic into a film done in the style of a fairytale? When your villain looks like a heroine-addicted, pedophile version of Willy Wonka, little girls are turned into candy by a steampunk-esque machine, and crowds of passersby are blind to the evil goings-on at the local candy store, then yes. Yes, it is possible to make a film that captures the inherent discomfort and creepiness of child sex trafficking. Check out the trailer for yourself, with more after the jump.

The Candy Shop takes place in a through-the-looking glass Atlanta, where a candy store is turning children into candy for chubby, sweaty male customers. In the real Atlanta, over 500 children a  month are sold for sex. Many estimates put it as one of the top cities in the country for child sex trafficking. The film is part of a city-wide campaign with anti-trafficking organizations Doorpost, 12Stone Church and StreetGrace, and 100% of the profits will go to support anti-trafficking programs in Atlanta. But the truly frightening part of The Candy Shop is that it could be set in any city, because child sex trafficking happens everywhere.

Yet despite the estimated 250,000 American children who are victims of human trafficking, there are less than 100 shelter beds in the country for them. That's not even enough space for all the children victimized in Atlanta. You can ask Congress to fund the Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking Deterrence and Victims Support Act, which will provide critical services for sex trafficking survivors. Also, check out Street Grace for more information on how to get involved in ending human trafficking in Atlanta.

Photo credit: The Candy Shop Trailer from Brandon McCormick on Vimeo

Amanda Kloer is a Change.org Editor and has been a full-time abolitionist in several capacities for seven years. Follow her on Twitter @endhumantraffic

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