A White House advisory council of religious leaders called this week for a global fund to battle human trafficking. Episcopal Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori, a member of the council, said such a fund “would encourage coordination and participation of philanthropists, governments and both religious and secular nonprofits to work toward abolishing modern slavery.” From Religious News Service:
With a 36-page report released Wednesday (April 10), the President’s Advisory Council on Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships hopes to build awareness of the estimated 21 million people worldwide who are subjected to sexual exploitation or forced labor.
“Abraham Lincoln said if slavery is not wrong then nothing is wrong, and we know that sadly 150 years later slavery still exists,” said Susan K. Stern, chair of the council and an adviser to the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee. “Today with this report we say, ‘Enough.’”
The 15-member council made 10 recommendations to the White House, saying what they’ve learned about the scope of trafficking has driven them to galvanize national action.
One recommendation calls for a “Global Fund to Eradicate Modern-day Slavery,” modeled on a fund that combated AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria.
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