Antonio Guterres, the head of the UN, recently demanded compensation for the transatlantic slave trade to address the legacy of this practice in modern society, which includes institutional racism.
At least 12.5 million Africans were taken captive, forced to travel by European ships and traders, and sold into slavery between the fifteenth and nineteenth centuries. After enduring the grueling journey, those who made it to the Americas were forced to work on plantations, primarily in Brazil and the Caribbean, while others made money from their labor.
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In his address on the United Nations International Day of Remembrance of the Slavery Victims, Guterres stated that the past “laid the foundations for a violent discrimination system based on white supremacy.”
“We call for reparatory justice frameworks to help overcome generations of exclusion and discrimination,” Guterres explained.
A U.N. study from September recommended that nations think about making monetary reparations to make up for slavery. Although the concept of making restitution for slavery, such as paying reparations, has a long history, the movement has recently gained international traction.
During the United Nations General Assembly, Hilary Beckles, the head of the Caribbean Community political and economic union’s reparations panel, remarked “This is the movement that will signal, finally, the collective victory of humanity, of good over evil.”
In order to get reparations from former colonial powers like the United Kingdom, France, and Portugal—along with assistance in addressing public health crises—the Caricom Reparations Commission was established.
In a poll conducted on March 25, 2024, The Repair Campaign—which is creating socioeconomic restoration plans for Caricom countries—found that four out of ten British respondents thought the Caribbean should get monetary compensation, and three out of five said a formal apology was overdue.
It is time for “Britain and other former and current colonial powers to own up to their responsibility,” according to Verene Shepherd, head of the University of the West Indies’ Center for Reparation Research.
