The President’s Advisory Council on Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships released its report on trafficking in persons to the President today. The National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) celebrates the report, “Building Partnerships to Eradicate Modern-day Slavery,” and urges the President to consider the Advisory Council’s recommendations.

“Human trafficking debases the God-given dignity of every person,” said NAE President Leith Anderson, who serves on the President’s Advisory Council on Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships. “It is time for the government, churches and all members of society work to together to bring trafficking in persons to an end.”

The Advisory Council’s recommendations include:

1. The White House and President Obama lead the effort to dramatically elevate and bring to scale the fight against modern-day slavery at home and abroad;
2. The White House and the U.S. government lead the effort to eliminate slave labor in the purchase and consumption of goods and services;
3. The federal government elevate anti-trafficking work at the agency level;
4. The White House convene a National Summit to raise awareness and inspire action to combat modern-day slavery;
5. The White House develop and announce a National Call to Action for civil society to increase and align efforts to eradicate modern-day slavery;
6. The Obama administration produce a toolkit on how religious and community-based organizations can learn more about and take steps to join the fight against trafficking;
7. The Obama administration work with the Ad Council to create a public awareness campaign on how to spot and report signs of trafficking;
8. The Obama administration designate the National Human Trafficking Resource Center (NHTRC) Hotline as the primary national human trafficking hotline promoted to the public;
9. U.S. Embassies and USAID Missions work with civil society leaders to develop comprehensive strategies to combat human trafficking; and
10. The Corporation for National and Community Service create a pilot partnership to place national service members in mayors’ and governors’ offices to help map and coordinate local responses to human trafficking.

The NAE reiterates its call from the NAE’s Trafficking in Women and Children 1999 resolution, which urges evangelicals to become more educated on the issue and to get involved in victim assistance. Since 1999, evangelicals have made significant strides in education and mobilization to combat human trafficking, but there is more to be done.

In January, the NAE cosponsored the Weekend of Prayer Against Trafficking with prayer events in Washington, D.C., and around the country.

See also:

Building Partnerships to Eradicate Modern-day Slavery, President’s Advisory Council on Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships (April 2013), http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/docs/advisory_council_humantrafficking_report.pdf