President Barack Obama issued an executive order Tuesday aimed at strengthening his administration's efforts to combat human trafficking. Later that day, he announced the effort in a speech at the annual Clinton Global Initiative meeting in New York. He praised the work of Christian groups, noting that they are "answering the Bible's call."
Referring to it as "modern slavery," Obama spoke about "the injustice, the outrage, of human trafficking.""Now, I do not use that word, 'slavery' lightly," Obama continued. "It evokes obviously one of the most painful chapters in our nation's history. But around the world, there's no denying the awful reality."
Obama described the different forms of slavery, such as those forced to work in sweatshops or as domestic servants, to fight in a war, or to become a prostitute.
"When a little girl is sold by her impoverished family -- girls my daughters' age -- runs away from home, or is lured by the false promises of a better life, and then imprisoned in a brothel and tortured if she resists -- that's slavery. It is barbaric, and it is evil, and it has no place in a civilized world," Obama said.
Obama praised the work of faith-based groups working to combat human trafficking.
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