Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley has unveiled an updated Caribbean reparations manifesto calling for monetary compensation and broader restorative measures for the descendants of enslaved Africans and Indigenous peoples, describing reparatory justice as a moral, legal, and humanitarian imperative.
Speaking at what she described as a “historic” conference in Ghana, Mottley said Caribbean leaders are determined to strengthen the case for reparations following the adoption of a landmark United Nations resolution recognizing the transatlantic slave trade and chattel slavery as among the gravest crimes against humanity.
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The revised document, which expands upon the Caribbean Community’s (CARICOM) original 10-point reparations plan, introduces new demands addressing gender-based violence, Indigenous genocide, and climate justice, while making a more explicit case for financial compensation from former colonial powers and institutions that profited from slavery.
“The language used from this platform this morning is not one of aggression, is not one of violence but it is one of the necessities for healing for humanity,” Mottley said.
“We have equally come to say that there should be no retreat on repair.”
Among the new provisions is a specific call for compensation for women and girls who suffered abuse during slavery. The manifesto cites historical estimates indicating that women accounted for approximately 30 percent of the 20 million Africans forcibly transported across the Atlantic, with at least 1.2 million enslaved women subjected to sexual violence.
Highlighting the issue, Mottley said compensation for gender-based violence and the destruction of families should be treated similarly to reparations awarded to other groups throughout history.
The updated document also argues that climate justice and slavery reparations are closely connected, noting that the economic systems built during colonialism continue to contribute to inequalities and environmental vulnerabilities faced by Caribbean nations today.
It further calls for support for Indigenous communities that inhabited the region before European colonization, acknowledging what it describes as genocidal campaigns that decimated native populations.
While the manifesto does not specify a financial figure, it makes clear that CARICOM is seeking monetary compensation from former slave-owning nations, monarchies, churches, corporations, institutions and families that benefited from slavery and colonial exploitation.
“CARICOM demands monetary compensation as reparations from enslaving nations, monarchies, churches, institutions, corporations and families,” the draft states, citing loss of life, forced labor, loss of liberty, personal injury, mental anguish and gender-based violence among the harms suffered.
The 52-page document, which is awaiting formal approval by CARICOM governments, also advances a stronger legal argument for reparations. It contends that crimes against humanity are not subject to statutes of limitation and references international conventions that permit legal proceedings for historical atrocities regardless of how much time has elapsed.
Since 2013, Caribbean governments have consistently advocated for reparatory justice and recognition of the enduring social and economic effects of slavery and colonialism.
Momentum for the movement increased earlier this year when the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution describing slavery and the transatlantic slave trade as among the gravest crimes against humanity. The measure passed with the support of 123 countries, while the United States, Israel and Argentina voted against it. Several European countries, including the United Kingdom, abstained.
Describing the conference in Ghana as a turning point, Mottley said silence from some nations should not deter efforts to pursue justice.
“That others choose to remain silent is a reflection of them, not of us,” she said.
The updated manifesto represents the second major revision to CARICOM’s reparations framework since the original 10-point plan was adopted in 2014 and is intended to strengthen the region’s campaign for acknowledgment, accountability and healing.
