Speeches By Barack Obama - Speech To The Clinton Global Initiative, 2012

Speech To The Clinton Global Initiative, 2012

Barack Obama's speech to the Clinton Global Initiative in 2012 took place on September 25. The speech was on the subject of human trafficking, which Obama referred to as "modern slavery". He stated that he did not use the term "slavery" lightly, knowing that this word conjures painful memories of previous forms of slavery in the United States. In the speech, he told his administration to oppose human trafficking to a greater extent than the administration had done previously. He also encouraged people to develop technology to combat human trafficking, and specifically put a call out to college students. Opening night of the human-trafficking-themed Canadian play She Has a Name in Edmonton, Alberta coincided with Obama's speech. JD Supra called it a "landmark speech is reflective of the fact that human trafficking and forced labor have become key priorities" for people wishing to address the human rights issues that result from business operations. Jada Pinkett Smith responded to the speech by stating that she planned to personally meet with Obama to talk about how the United States might approach the issue of human trafficking. California Against Slavery founder Daphne Phung was pleased with Obama's speech. As part of the Obama administration's followup to the speech to the Clinton Global Initiative, there was a 25-person discussion at the White House about how to eliminate human trafficking globally.