Presidential Documents

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

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826 Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 4 / Wednesday, January 7, 2015 / 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 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 thirtyninth. 

[FR Doc. 2015–00073 

Filed 1–6–15; 8:45 am] 

Billing code 3295–F5 


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