After his speech to the United Nations General Assembly Tuesday, US President Barack Obama used an appearance at the Clinton Global Initiative to announce new efforts to help crack down on human trafficking. Calling the fight against human trafficking "one of the great human rights causes of our time," Obama announced new steps to deal with a problem he called "barbaric and evil" with no place in a civilized world. "It is a debasement of our common humanity. It ought to concern every community, because it tears at our social fabric," said Obama. "It ought to concern every business, because it distorts markets. It ought to concern every nation, because it endangers public health and fuels violence and organized crime. I’m talking about the injustice, the outrage of human trafficking, which must be called by its true name - modern slavery.” Obama issued an executive order to strengthen what he said is already a strict policy ensuring that government contractors do not engage in forced labor. "In short, we're making clear that American tax dollars must never, ever, be used to support the trafficking of human beings. We will have zero tolerance; we mean what we say, we will enforce it." Other steps include expanded resources and training for government, state and local law enforcement officials to detect trafficking, and more help for victims who, Mr. Obama said, "should be treated as victims, not criminals." |