When President-elect Barack Obama uttered the word “slavery” in a historical reference during his post-election acceptance speech, I could not avoid making a connection to modern victims of forced servitude around the world.

Slavery is not a relic of the past. Indeed, the problem – also known as human trafficking – has reached epidemic proportions, subjugating upward of 30 million people. Those voiceless, invisible multitudes desperately need a powerful champion. Obama should not hesitate to step into that role, starting by expanding the U.S. government’s anti-human-trafficking initiatives, which currently include monitoring the problem, rescuing slaves and producing an annual report. More specifically, he should accept nothing short of ending slavery within a generation, a goal that is both realistic and morally right.

The reasons for slavery’s return and shockingly rapid expansion, particularly during the past decade and a half, are varied and numerous. They include globalization, poverty, criminality, corruption, indifference, political instability, greed, conflict, discrimination and lax law enforcement, among others.

Regardless of the source, the result is the same: the tragic cheapening of human life in a despicable fashion. But that travesty need not continue.

One man who strongly believes in the possibility of stopping slavery is Kevin Bales, the president and co-founder of the Free the Slaves organization and author of “Ending Slavery: How We Free Today’s Slaves.” I invited him to share his thoughts about a proper strategy for the incoming Obama administration. He advises:

1. Making the termination of slavery a key priority. Soon after Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s election, he announced a commission for the eradication of slavery. No other head of state has done anything like that, Bales says. He believes that Obama should not hesitate to issue a similar commitment and take other bold actions.

2. Improving strategic planning. Bales believes that the United States needs an integrated, comprehensive approach to slavery that is more attentive to the prevention of the problem, the protection of victims and the prosecution of slave-traffickers. A presidential task force could assist with such a strategy, he recommends.

3. Pushing for better information-sharing. Many U.S. government agencies collect data on slavery; so do several international organizations. Unfortunately, Bales contends, those databases typically reside in silos surrounded by bureaucratic walls. That leaves us unable to learn all we could from combining the information.

4. Supporting the expanded training of police. Slavery is a bundle of crimes – rape, assault, document fraud and tax evasion, to name but a few – yet its “clear-up” rate is woefully low, Bales argues, around half of 1 percent. Part of the problem is that most U.S. police have no training in this major criminal activity. That must change, he says.

5. Learning from others’ successes. The country that is doing the most in terms of combating slavery, according to Bales, is the same one that is already committed to its eradication: Brazil. The U.S. government removes several hundred people from slavery each year. In Brazil, the number is in the thousands. Why? Partly because it has anti-slavery squads, Bales says. These are mobile units that can fly into any location, ferret out the crime and bust it.

6. Encouraging the development of national plans worldwide. Countries should develop strategies overseen by anti-slavery officials to stop all forms of the crime within their borders, Bales advocates. In addition, the United Nations should appoint a special representative for slavery. The United States should take the lead in pressing for such steps, he says.

Through such decisive measures, Obama could become a powerful champion for the voiceless, invisible, enslaved multitudes, turn the tide against this terrible crime and end slavery in our time.