[United States Statutes at Large, Volume 126, 112th Congress, 2nd Session]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

 
PROCLAMATION 8924--DEC. 31, 2012

Proclamation 8924 of December 31, 2012

National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month, 2013

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

This month, we rededicate ourselves to stopping one of the greatest
human rights abuses of our time. Around the world, millions of men,
women, and children are bought, sold, beaten, and abused, locked in
compelled service and hidden in darkness. They toil in factories and
fields; in brothels and sweatshops; at sea, abroad, and at home. They
are the victims of human trafficking--a crime that amounts to modern-day
slavery.
As Americans, we have long rejected such cruelty. We have recognized it
as a debasement of our common humanity and an affront to the principles
we cherish. And for more than a century, we have made it a national
mission to bring slavery and human trafficking to an end.
My Administration has been deeply committed to carrying this legacy
forward--beginning with trafficking that happens on our own shores. We
have strengthened protections so all workers know their rights, expanded
efforts to identify and serve domestic victims, devoted new resources to
dismantling trafficking networks, and put more traffickers behind bars
than ever before. In the months ahead, we will continue to take action
by empowering investigators and law enforcement with the training they
need, and by engaging businesses, advocates, and students in developing
cutting-edge tools people can use to stay safe. We will invest in
helping trafficking victims rebuild their lives. And as one of the
world's largest purchasers of goods and services, the Federal Government
will keep leading by example, further strengthening protections to help
ensure that American tax dollars never support forced labor.
Our commitment to stopping human trafficking does not end at our
borders. As a leader in the global movement to combat this scourge, the
United States has renewed sanctions on governments that harbor the worst
offenders. We have partnered with groups around the world to help men,
women, and children escape their abusers. And recognizing that no
country can meet this challenge alone, we have aided others in
addressing modern slavery's root causes, and encouraged nations across
the globe to pass comprehensive anti-trafficking laws, enforce them
rigorously, and care for survivors.
We know the road ahead is long, and change will not come easily. But as
we renew our pledge to erase modern forms of slavery from the face of
this earth, let us also draw strength from the movements of the past. We
recall the words of the Emancipation Proclamation--that every life saved
is ``an act of justice,'' worthy of ``the considerate judgment of
mankind, and the gracious favor of an Almighty God.'' We reflect on the
Amendment that wrote abolition into law, the decades of struggle to make
its promise real, and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights that has
drawn nations together in the pursuit of equality and justice. These
achievements once seemed impossible--but on this day, let us remember
that they were not, and let us press on toward the future we know is
possible.


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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 2013 as
National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month, culminating in
the annual celebration of National Freedom Day on February 1. I call
upon businesses, organizations, faith-based groups, families, and all
Americans to recognize the vital role we can play in ending all forms of
slavery and to observe this month with appropriate programs and
activities.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this thirty-first day of
December, in the year of our Lord two thousand twelve, and of the
Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-
seventh.
BARACK OBAMA