UN chief calls for West’s reparations for transatlantic slave trade

UN chief Antonio Guterres has called for reparations over the transatlantic trafficking of enslaved people as a way to tackle its legacy in today’s society, including systemic racism. In a statement marking the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade, Guterres said slavery has “laid the foundations for a violent discrimination system based on white supremacy that still echoes today.” “We call for reparatory justice frameworks to help overcome generations of exclusion and discrimination,” Guterres said. From the 15th to the 19th century, at least 12.5 million Africans were kidnapped, forcibly transported by European ships and merchants, and sold into slavery. Those who survived the brutal voyage ended up toiling on plantations in the Americas, mostly in Brazil and the Caribbean, while others profited from their labor. “Many of those who organized and ran the transatlantic slave trade amassed huge fortunes. Meanwhile, the enslaved were deprived of education, health care, opportunity, and prosperity,” the UN chief said. According to Guterres, the lives of those who fell victim to slavery were “ruled by terror,” as they were subjected to rape, flogging, lynchings, and other atrocities and humiliations. “We appeal for the space and necessary...