[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 4 (Friday, January 6, 2012)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 1007-1008]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-188]



[[Page 1005]]

Vol. 77

Friday,

No. 4

January 6, 2012

Part VI





The President





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Proclamation 8772--National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention 
Month, 2012
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  Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 4 / Friday, January 6, 2012 / 
Presidential Documents  

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 Title 3--
 The President

[[Page 1007]]

                Proclamation 8772 of December 30, 2011

                
National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention 
                Month, 2012

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                Nearly a century and a half ago, President Abraham 
                Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation--a 
                document that reaffirmed the noble goals of equality 
                and freedom for all that lie at the heart of what it 
                means to live in America. In the years since, we have 
                tirelessly pursued the realization and protection of 
                these essential principles. Yet, despite our successes, 
                thousands of individuals living in the United States 
                and still more abroad suffer in silence under the 
                intolerable yoke of modern slavery. During National 
                Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month, we 
                stand with all those who are held in compelled service; 
                we recognize the people, organizations, and government 
                entities that are working to combat human trafficking; 
                and we recommit to bringing an end to this inexcusable 
                human rights abuse.

                Human trafficking endangers the lives of millions of 
                people around the world, and it is a crime that knows 
                no borders. Trafficking networks operate both 
                domestically and transnationally, and although abuses 
                disproportionally affect women and girls, the victims 
                of this ongoing global tragedy are men, women, and 
                children of all ages. Around the world, we are 
                monitoring the progress of governments in combating 
                trafficking while supporting programs aimed at its 
                eradication. From forced labor and debt bondage to 
                forced commercial sexual exploitation and involuntary 
                domestic servitude, human trafficking leaves no country 
                untouched. With this knowledge, we rededicate ourselves 
                to forging robust international partnerships that 
                strengthen global anti-trafficking efforts, and to 
                confronting traffickers here at home.

                My Administration continues to implement our 
                comprehensive strategy to combat human trafficking in 
                America. By coordinating our response across Federal 
                agencies, we are working to protect victims of human 
                trafficking with effective services and support, 
                prosecute traffickers through consistent enforcement, 
                and prevent human rights abuses by furthering public 
                awareness and addressing the root causes of modern 
                slavery. The steadfast defense of human rights is an 
                essential part of our national identity, and as long as 
                individuals suffer the violence of slavery and human 
                trafficking, we must continue the fight.

                With the start of each year, we commemorate the 
                anniversaries of the Emancipation Proclamation, which 
                became effective on January 1, 1863, and the 13th 
                Amendment to abolish slavery, which was signed by 
                President Abraham Lincoln and submitted to the States 
                for ratification on February 1, 1865. These documents 
                stand as testaments to the gains we have made in 
                pursuit of freedom and justice for all, and they remind 
                us of the work that remains to be done. This month, I 
                urge all Americans to educate themselves about all 
                forms of modern slavery and the signs and consequences 
                of human trafficking. Together, and in cooperation with 
                our partners around the world, we can work to end this 
                terrible injustice and protect the rights to life and 
                liberty entrusted to us by our forebears and owed to 
                our children.

[[Page 1008]]

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the 
                United States of America, by virtue of the authority 
                vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the 
                United States, do hereby proclaim January 2012 as 
                National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention 
                Month, culminating in the annual celebration of 
                National Freedom Day on February 1. I call upon the 
                people of the United States to recognize the vital role 
                we can play in ending modern slavery and to observe 
                this month with appropriate programs and activities.

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                thirtieth day of December, in the year of our Lord two 
                thousand eleven, and of the Independence of the United 
                States of America the two hundred and thirty-sixth.
                
                
                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 2012-188
Filed 1-5-12; 11:15 am]
Billing code 3295-F2-P