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.
