The next fashion trend could be marked by a very different kind of label, if the President’s Advisory Council on Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships has its way.
The White House advisory group has released new recommendations to combat human trafficking that include not only increased awareness efforts, but also “a new labeling system to help identify consumer goods that were not created with slave labor.”
The Advisory Council turned its attention toward eradicating human trafficking last year, and last week’s 36-page report is the group’s first “call to action.”
Among the recommendations in the report are requests for a global fund to fight trafficking and the proposed labeling system, which would identify goods not produced with slave labor.
In a statement, White House faith-based office director Melissa Rogers outlined the Obama Administration’s four-part strategy to fight human trafficking. She said the Advisory Council’s recommendations address the White House’s desire to partner “with civil society, state and local government, the private sector, and faith-based organizations to maximize resources and outcomes.”
Members of the Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships Council include National Association of Evangelicals president Leith Anderson, Willow Creek Community Church co-founder Lynne Hybels, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America presiding bishop Mark Hanson, and Episcopal Church presiding bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori. The Council also includes Buddhist, Jewish, Mormon, and Greek Orthodox representatives.
CT regularly covers issues related to human trafficking, and recently hosted a ‘Life and Justice’ roundtable that touched on the topic. CT also noted when the Advisory Council was created last August, and reported on religious groups’ efforts to fight trafficking in September.
