The new documentary “Sex Nation” delves into the potential root causes of human trafficking and chronicles the purported “moral fall of America” that has created the demand for sexual exploitation.

The film, produced by Jaco Booyens Ministries, premiered in Dallas on Thursday night. The premiere was attended by The Dallas Express.

Jaco Booyens, a film director and anti-human trafficking advocate, told The Dallas Express that the origins of this project stretch back to 1994, the year he and his family discovered his sister Ilonka Deaton was a victim of trafficking and he dedicated himself to fighting against it.

Deaton’s full story is shared in the documentary.

This specific project was launched because Booyens “felt like it was time to talk about root issues, not just educate people,” he told The Dallas Express, explaining that he believes “pornography is the core” of sex trafficking.

In the film, Booyens describes pornography as “the entry drug to all things evil sexually in our nation.”

“We really needed to go hard on pornography [and] fatherlessness,” he said to The Dallas Express. “It’s almost like using remedies to cope with an ailment and delaying surgery … We’ve been using remedies, and we’re now as a culture at a point where children [are] dragged to drag shows, and double mastectomies [are being] performed on children, and puberty blockers [are being given to children].”

“Remedies are not gonna help anymore,” he said. “[We need] surgery now … It’s heart surgery. It’s morality. A nation that needs to turn back to God. A nation that needs to value life again. A nation that needs to look at children and go, ‘They should be innocent.'”

Booyens told The Dallas Express he believes it is important for people to see this film “because they’re creating demand without knowing it”

He explained that, in his view, people who say, “I know there’s drag shows for kids in Dallas, but that’s not my thing,” are “by default … complicit” in behaviors that create demand for sex trafficking.

He added that people from both sides of the political aisle “look the other way” in regard to these practices.

“You’re complicit,” he said. “Watching pornography while saying children should be protected, not understanding that these actions create demand.”

While the film argues that pornography is ultimately to blame for human trafficking, others argue the opposite, as attorney Jeneanne Orlowski explains in the article “Beyond Gratification: The Benefits of Pornography and the Demedicalization of Female Sexuality.”

Orlowski writes, “Proponents for the protection of pornography argue that pornography can be a release of sexual tension that contributes to a decrease in sexual violence.”

Rather than facilitating the sexual exploitation of women, “pornography contributes to greater female social equality, and pushes the boundaries of social conservatism,” the article claims.

Still, Booyens encouraged anyone who wants to join the fight against human trafficking to “start at home.”

“Are your children potentially talking to a predator on Instagram? Let’s just start there. Are you sure that your kids are not currently being groomed?” he said. “Is pornography in your home? Let’s get that out.”

“Then widen the circle,” he continued, encouraging people to take advantage of the resources provided by his organization to fight against issues like pornography, addiction, and sexually explicit material in public schools.

Philipa Booyens, screenwriter and wife of Jaco Booyens, told The Dallas Express that she believes “our nation has definitely been oversexualized.”

“Especially at a young age,” she continued, explaining a direct connection between the over-sexualization of modern culture, specifying entertainment and education, and more extreme forms of exploitation such as sex trafficking itself.

“It breaks my heart. We’re dealing with a lot of child sexual exploitation material,” she said. “[Children] are getting exploited online so easily now that the internet is available.”

Booyens encouraged parents to be “very involved” with the online activities of their children.

“Know what your kids watch. Know what your kids are being taught. Know your kids’ friends,” she added. “I think a big problem is we’ve been … exposing kids to things way too early developmentally that they don’t need to know.”

“We have to protect kids. We have to protect women, and men, too.” she continued. “We are just exploiting people. We have to value people again.”

The Dallas Express has extensively reported on sexually explicit material in schools and all-ages drag shows both within the metroplex and throughout America.

Texas State Board of Education member Julie Pickren, who is featured in the documentary, told The Dallas Express she is “thankful” that this film is “shining the light on human trafficking because it’s a real problem.”

Options to stream “Sex Nation” in its entirety can be found here.