[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 4 (Wednesday, January 7, 2015)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 825-826]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-00073]




                        Presidential Documents 



Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 4 / Wednesday, January 7, 2015 / 
Presidential Documents

[[Page 825]]


                Proclamation 9225 of December 31, 2014

                
National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention 
                Month, 2015

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                For more than two centuries, the United States has 
                worked to advance the cause of freedom. Stained from a 
                history of slavery and shaped by ancestors brought to 
                this country in chains, today, America shines as a 
                beacon of hope to people everywhere who cherish liberty 
                and opportunity. Still, our society remains imperfect, 
                and our Nation has more work to do to uphold these 
                values. At home and around the globe, we must continue 
                to fight for human dignity and the inalienable rights 
                of every person.

                Today, millions of men, women, and children are victims 
                of human trafficking. This modern-day slavery occurs in 
                countries throughout the world and in communities 
                across our Nation. These victims face a cruelty that 
                has no place in a civilized world: children are made to 
                be soldiers, teenage girls are beaten and forced into 
                prostitution, and migrants are exploited and compelled 
                to work for little or no pay. It is a crime that can 
                take many forms, and one that tears at our social 
                fabric, debases our common humanity, and violates what 
                we stand for as a country and a people.

                Founded on the principles of justice and fairness, the 
                United States continues to be a leader in the global 
                movement to end modern-day slavery. We are working to 
                combat human trafficking, prosecute the perpetrators, 
                and help victims recover and rebuild their lives. We 
                have launched national initiatives to help healthcare 
                workers, airline flight crews, and other professionals 
                better identify and provide assistance to victims of 
                trafficking. We are strengthening protections and 
                supporting the development of new tools to prevent and 
                respond to this crime, and increasing access to 
                services that help survivors become self-sufficient. We 
                are also working with our international partners and 
                faith-based organizations to bolster counter-
                trafficking efforts in countries across the globe.

                As we fight to eliminate trafficking, we draw strength 
                from the courage and resolve of generations past--and 
                in the triumphs of the great abolitionists that came 
                before us, we see the promise of our Nation: that even 
                in the face of impossible odds, those who love their 
                country can change it. Every citizen can take action by 
                speaking up and insisting that the clothes they wear, 
                the food they eat, and the products they buy are made 
                free of forced labor. Business and non-profit leaders 
                can ensure their supply chains do not exploit 
                individuals in bondage. And the United States 
                Government will continue to address the underlying 
                forces that push so many into the conditions of modern-
                day slavery in the first place.

                During National Slavery and Human Trafficking 
                Prevention Month, we stand with the survivors, 
                advocates, and organizations dedicated to building a 
                world where our people and our children are not for 
                sale. Together, let us recommit to a society where our 
                sense of justice tells us that we are our brothers' and 
                sisters' keepers, where every person can forge a life 
                equal to their talents and worthy of their dreams.

[[Page 826]]

                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 2015 as 
                National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention 
                Month, culminating in the annual celebration of 
                National Freedom Day on February 1. I call upon 
                businesses, national and community organizations, 
                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 fourteen, and of the Independence of the 
                United States of America the two hundred and thirty-
                ninth.
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                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 2015-00073
Filed 1-6-15; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3295-F5