Presidential Documents

1123 

Federal Register 

Vol. 78, No. 4 

Monday, January 7, 2013 

Title 3— 

The President 

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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1124 Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 4 / Monday, January 7, 2013 / Presidential Documents 

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 thirtyseventh. 

[FR Doc. 2013–00203 

Filed 1–4–13; 11:15 am] 

Billing code 3295–F3 


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