UN Secretary-General António Guterres called for reparations for slaves because of the transatlantic slave trade, which deprived slaves of “education, health care, opportunity and prosperity.”
“We call for reparative justice frameworks, to help overcome generations of exclusion and discrimination,” Guterres said. He said on MondayWhich falls on the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade.
He said: “We appeal to provide the space and conditions necessary for healing, reform and justice.”
More than 12.5 million Africans were forcibly transported by European traders on their ships and sold into slavery. Some merchants profited from the labor of slaves. Those who survived the voyages were placed on farms in Brazil and the Caribbean.
“This laid the foundations for a system of violent discrimination based on white supremacy, which still resonates today,” Guterres said. “Descendants of enslaved Africans and people of African descent continue to fight for equal rights and freedoms around the world.”
A UN report issued last year said countries could consider financial reparations for the enslavement of people of African descent, but acknowledged that the process of filing legal claims and identifying victims and perpetrators was complex.
“Under international human rights law, compensation for any economically assessable harm, as appropriate and proportionate to the seriousness of the violation and the circumstances of each case, may also constitute a form of reparations.” According to the report Released in September.
“In the context of historical wrongs and damage inflicted as a result of colonialism and slavery, assessing economic damage may be very difficult due to the long period of time that has elapsed and the difficulty of identifying perpetrators and victims,” the report said.
Hilary Pickles, Chair of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Reparations Committee, echoed Guterres' comments.
“This is the movement that will finally signal the collective victory of humanity, the victory of good over evil,” Pickles said. According to Reuters. The Caribbean Reparations Commission was established to pursue reparations from former colonial powers such as Portugal, France and Great Britain.
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