Throughout history, carefully chosen words have captured the rhythmic shifts of the ever-changing cultural tides. Words have power. They inspire, motivate, ignite, and inflame. The right words to the right people at the right time can shake the world. Here are 11 quotes on human trafficking, slavery, and justice we hope will ignite your passion in fighting human trafficking.
4 Stirring Quotes on Human Trafficking
“Human trafficking is an open wound on the body of contemporary society, a scourge upon the body of Christ. It is a crime against humanity.” —Pope Francis
“Remember that every person on the streets, in a club, on the internet, in a hotel room, WHEREVER they may be, have families and loved ones and hearts just as you do, and that they are worthy and enough. When you see us, could you just offer a small smile? Extend a small bit of compassion even though you may not personally understand? Small, simple actions have the potential to make a large impact, and now is the time more than ever before.” —Melissa Diehl, survivor of human trafficking
“Defeating human trafficking is a great moral calling of our time.” Condoleeza Rice, former U.S. Secretary of State
“We must make human trafficking dangerous.” —Matt Parker, Co-Founder of The Exodus Road
4 Moving Quotes on Slavery and Abolition
“I am only one, but I am one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something. And I will not let what I cannot do interfere with what I can do.” —Edward Everett Hale, American minister, and abolitionist
“Those who profess to favor freedom and yet depreciate agitation, are people who want crops without ploughing the ground; they want rain without thunder and lightning; they want the ocean without the roar of its many waters. The struggle may be a moral one, or it may be a physical one, or it may be both. But it must be a struggle. Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will.” —Frederick Douglass, formerly enslaved person
“You may choose to look the other way but you can never say again that you did not know.” —William Wilberforce, British politician and abolitionist
“If slavery is not wrong, nothing is wrong.” —Abraham Lincoln, former U.S. President
3 Inspiring Quotes on Justice
“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” —Martin Luther King, Jr., American civil rights leader
“Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.” —Barack Obama, former U.S. President
“Human rights are not a privilege conferred by government. They are every human being’s entitlement by virtue of his humanity.” —Mother Teresa, saint and missionary
While slavery is not a new issue, global awareness of the ongoing issues of human trafficking, sex trafficking, and forced labor is relatively recent. There are a growing number of public figures who are using their platforms to call attention to issues like human trafficking, slavery, justice, and freedom.
Will you join them?
If you want to keep learning about the realities of human trafficking, sign up for TraffickWatch, a FREE course on human trafficking. You’ll learn about what it looks like globally and in the U.S., along with how ordinary people like you can help prevent it.
