#anti-slave

[xponentialdesign]

Non sub imperium.

[anonymouserie]

[force4compassion]

The president calls human trafficking by its real name: "modern slavery"

In a recent article posted on usnews.com, titled, "President Obama Unveils Landmark Actions To Fight Human Trafficking," Elizabeth Flock explains how the president said it was time to call human trafficking its real name: "modern slavery."

His speech took place at the Clinton Global Initiative's annual meeting and unveiled major actions to fight modern day slavery at home and abroad. He said, "it was time to turn the focus on fighting trafficking within American borders."

Below are some highlights from the story:

"The bitter truth is that trafficking also goes on right here," he said. "It's the migrant worker unable to pay off the debt to his trafficker... The teenage girl—beaten, forced to walk the streets. This should not be happening in the United States of America."

The president also said it was time to call human trafficking by its real name: "modern slavery." Obama's speech came just days after the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation, the executive order issued by President Abraham Lincoln in 1863 that freed millions of slaves across the United States.

Ambassador Luis CdeBaca, who oversees the Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons, says that the term "human trafficking" has long been used by diplomats as a euphemism, because "slavery is an uncomfortable word."

"But slavery should be uncomfortable... And the president's speech today shows it's okay to look into this dark place, and name the evil for what it actually is," says CdeBaca.

Flock writes that the president  announced a new assessment of the scope and scale of human trafficking in the U.S. and that America would better comat modern day slavery and it's traffickers with technology. Obama ensured that the U.S. would "lead by example" and have "zero tolerance."

"The State Department estimates that between 14,500 and 17,500 people are trafficked to the U.S. every year, but the real number is likely much higher. It estimates there are up to 27 million victims of modern slavery worldwide."

This is a huge step for our country as the past four years were spent going after traffickers, but there has never been an initiative launched this size to abolish modern day slavery. It's going to take an initiative like this to combat slavery in the U.S. and in the world, but it's also going to take a lot of follow through and support from the local level to ensure that these initiatives are enforced and carried out to bring justice to those who deserve it.

Visit Force 4 Compassion's human trafficking 2012 Statistics page, Survivor Stories page  or the Facts and Stats page to learn more about how you can combat human trafficking.

BE IN THE KNOW: LIKE Force 4 Compassion on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/FORCE4COMPASSION FOLLOW Force 4 Compassion on Twitter: http://twitter.com/Force4C