The United Nations General Assembly has voted to recognise the enslavement of Africans during the transatlantic slave trade as “the gravest crime against humanity”, a move advocates hope will pave the way for healing and justice.
The resolution - proposed by Ghana - called for this designation, while also urging UN member states to consider apologising for the slave trade and contributing to a reparations fund. It does not mention a specific amount of money.
The proposal was adopted with 123 votes in favour and three against - the United States, Israel and Argentina.
Countries like the UK have long rejected calls to pay reparations, saying today’s institutions cannot be held responsible for past wrongs.
Glad the UN is focusing on current issues.
Indeed. The effects of trans-atlantic slavery are felt to this day.
While agreed …
There are some more pressing issues currently going on.
Like multiple wars, a handful of active genocides, modern slavery on a global scale that’s largely out of the public eye (honestly focusing so much on slavery of the past feels kinda like a slap in the face to the slaves of today), food and clean water scarcity in various places, and the general state of places like Haiti, Eritrea, and South Sudan
Relax, UN is no going to do anything about nothing. They can just as well do nothing about slavery as about wars.
Damn I wonder what happened to those countries to end up like that. Well have I got good news for you about paying those reparations.