Matt and Laura—“Exploiting Exploitation”

by

Ted Lyons

The arrogance of Matt Parker, the founder and CIO of The Exodus Road is palpable. Listening to him speak during a recent YouTube video, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2uaQ7xXPYgs

it becomes completely apparent that this man is a narcissist, with serious deceptive motives. The Exodus Road uses sensationalized videos and pictures that do not capture the entire truth of their narrative. It is important to understand the differences between “sex work,” and human trafficking. Matt and Laura Parker use undercover video footage in Thailand without regard for the truth. They show scenes of individuals and establishments without proper context regarding the actual situation. They are leading individuals into believing a false narrative. I will say over and over, that human trafficking and sexual exploitation exist. It is a scourge on society. It is evil and reprehensible. However, the Parkers are “exploiting exploitation.” Human trafficking and sexual exploitation is a criminal enterprise. It is complex and hidden. It should be fought by trained law enforcement officers, who are culturally knowledgeable of the country, and the traditions of those native to the country. This video is disturbing, and enlightening about Matt and Laura’s motives. Their body language is one of hubris and deceit. When you listen closely, you will hear several disingenuous statements by the Parkers.

 

Listening to Matt speak about his first experience of undercover work inside a red-light district, I come to the conclusion that he is embellishing and fabricating his story to fit his and Laura’s “money-making” agenda. During the video, Matt shares his first experience inside an establishment in Bangkok, Thailand. He describes the feelings of sensory overload. I will admit, it can be overwhelming the first time an individual enters a red-light district. Matt gives a pretty accurate description of a visit to an adult establishment. However, he describes traffickers coming up to him trying to sell women and child pornography. This is a completely fabricated story. He is embellishing his experience. First, he describes these individuals as traffickers. His first experience in a red-light district and he immediately identified traffickers and trafficking victims. It takes trained law enforcement officials multiple trips and extensive investigations to ascertain information and evidence to identify a trafficker or victim. Also, anyone who has investigated, or has been a customer in a red-light district will acknowledge that NO ONE comes up to you and tries to openly sell you child pornography. Once again, Matt lies about the facts!

https://antihumantraffickingbadactors.com/the-greatest-sham-on-earth/

 

Secondly, Matt states that the girls can’t speak English, so they wear numbers on their uniforms. I find this very interesting that a girl came and sat down with him, and just opened up about her “trafficking” experience. The way he describes this encounter is make-believe. Matt should also consider a career in writing fictional novels. He says during the video that he spoke to the “trafficker,” and asked “how does this work.” He has immediately labeled an employee in a legal establishment as a “trafficker.” I find it very unbelievable that in his first experience in a red-light district, he could identify and extract vital information from individuals. He goes on to mention that a girl by the name of Bell sat down with him. In the arrogance that Matt Parker lives his life with, he claims this girl just opened up to him about being tricked into the sex industry. This is unbelievable because most of the girls don’t speak English, and they don’t trust customers on the very first encounter.

 

Let me explain how this works. The girl isn’t sharing any information with Matt until he spends a lot of time with her. She isn’t going to trust him on their very first encounter. If she is being trafficked, then she would be too scared to trust a man she just met. This is where you have to understand that Matt and Laura are only about, Matt and Laura. They exploit “exploitation” for personal financial gain. Also, the Thai language is extremely difficult to learn. There are different dialects which makes it even more difficult. Even if Matt had some basic knowledge of the Thai language, it is challenging to believe he was able to interview her and listen to her story. Matt distorts the narrative to gain emotion and empathy from the evangelical church in America.

Matt and Laura moved from Colorado to Northern Thailand in April of 2010. They initially worked with a children’s home until they felt compelled to battle human trafficking. This is all good and noble of them. The issue of child sex trafficking does exist. Human trafficking and sexual exploitation continue to destroy lives worldwide. However, the Parkers believe themselves to be “SUPER HEROES.” Let’s revisit Matt’s first trip undercover in a red-light district. Matt believes he is far superior in expertise and experience of veteran law enforcement agencies. He claims he put a report together of all of the information and evidence that he gathered from his first undercover operation. He returned to the Region 5 police in Thailand and presented his findings. They were so impressed with him. He states, “They said we have never seen anything like this before.” Once again, the Parkers moved to Thailand in 2010. They formed The Exodus Road in 2012. The International Justice Mission (IJM) has been operating in Thailand since 2000.

IJM has worked in northern Thailand through IJM’s Chiang Mai field office (FO) since 2000, partnering with government authorities on hill tribe Thai citizenship cases and cases of sexual violence against children. Over the early 2000s, IJM was involved in work to target the sex worker industry.

 

IJM is one of the world’s largest anti-trafficking organizations. They consist of highly trained law enforcement officials, lawyers, and experts in humanitarian work. They have an extensive working relationship with the Thai government and police organizations. There are a plethora of other organizations that have been working throughout Thailand since the early 2000’s. I find Matt’s statement to be disingenuous and an outright lie. Law enforcement was not impressed with his findings. They were already privy to this kind of information and reports from other NGOs. Please understand that Thai law enforcement officials were not impressed by Matt’s work. Falsifying the narrative and distorting the truth is what Matt and Laura do best. They observed children in need. They observed other organizations trying to help. Then, they concocted a plan and narrative, bolstered by fictitious and fabricated stories all for “exploiting exploitation.” It’s disrespectful and insulting to the Thai government, and all of the honest and hardworking men and women who have sacrificed to help children and communities throughout Thailand. The Parkers speak as if they are the “saviors” of the children of Thailand.

 

In conclusion. It’s important to understand the operating methods of The Exodus Road. They practice deceitful tactics by creating their own “trafficking” cases. They illegally attempt to set up bar owners and their staff for crimes. Then they notify the police to make an arrest, they then take all of the credit and act like “SUPER HEROES” all in the name of garnering donations from the Evangelical Church in America. The Exodus Road has been accused of inappropriate sexual behavior. They have been accused by former staff of mistreatment in the workplace.  Here is a link to credible sources identifying their bad behavior. https://theexodusroadtruth.ru/open-letter-to-the-exodus-road/

Several girls working in bars have been shown pictures of Matt Parker, and his merry band of “volunteer cowboys.” Many of these girls have shared stories of being inappropriately touched and spoken to in a sexually explicit manner. The Parkers are using The Exodus Road as a marketing tool. To Matt and Laura, it isn’t about helping children, it’s about their lifestyle and bank account. Their motives are revealed through their actions. They understand the heartstrings of the Evangelical Church in America. They have created one of the most disturbing NGOs for financial gain! They are experts at “exploiting exploitation.”

 

Here is a great link to read about all of the nefarious actions of The Exodus Road.

https://linktr.ee/theexodusroadtruth

 

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