NEW YORK — President Barack Obama devoetd his speech at the Clinton Global Initiative to expose the domestic and international problem of human trafficking.
“I'm talking about the injustice, the outrage of human trafficking, which must be called by its true name modern slavery," Obama told the audience in a crammed hotel ballroom. "It is barbaric and it is evil and it has no place in a civilized world."
Obama highlighted an executive order he signed today to track, prevent, and prosecute trafficking more effectively, expressing concern for those in "slavery" around the world.
Obama noted he ordered the State Department to include the United States in its annual report on human trafficking
"We cannot ask other nations to do what we are not doing ourselves," Obama said.
Reaching out to all those who are impated by trafficking, Obama added, “Our message to people around the world is: We see you, we hear you, we insist on your dignity.”
The remarks, two hours after his speech to the United Nations General Assembly and singularly focused on the issue, struck a different tone from his Republican opponent Mitt Romney, who addressed foreign aid the broader role of the United States in the world.