Countries are legally obliged to consider reparations for the transatlantic slave trade and take other measures to address the enduring legacy of racial discrimination, a UN committee has said. Guidance published this week by the committee on the elimination of racial discrimination (Cerd) said the obligations arose from a legally binding 1965 convention on racial discrimination, not from the legal standards that existed when the slave trade took place. The committee described the approach as a “paradigm shift” away from debates over historical responsibility that have often been used by governments to resist reparations claims. At least 12.5 million Africans were taken and sold between the 15th and 19th centuries in what Cerd called the largest forced displacement in history. Calls for reparations – ranging from official apologies to financial compensation – have gained momentum internationally, though opponents argue that states and institutions should not be held responsible for historical crimes. The EU and Britain abstained from a UN resolution on slavery in March. Pela Boker Wilson, a committee expert from Liberia who helped draft the document, said she expected states to move beyond broad expressions of regret and review policies and laws. “We are calling on state parties to take concrete and meaningful action,” she told Reuters. “We want to affirm the dignity of those whose suffering was denied, whose suffering was minimised or forgotten.” Tap the link in bio to read more #slavery
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