The United Nations says countries should consider paying financial reparations for the former enslavement of people of African descent, even though the passage of time and the difficulty of identifying the perpetrators make these legal demands particularly difficult to meet.
In his report released on Tuesday, UN Secretary-General António Guterres drew attention to the fact that
no country has yet comprehensively accounted for its past.
The Secretary General admitted that it can be particularly difficult to assess the economic damage caused by these processes due to the long time that has passed since then, and also due to the fact that it is already difficult to identify the perpetrators and victims. At the same time, he emphasized in the report that these difficulties should not be grounds for disregarding the existence of legal obligations for compensation.
The document, authored by the UN Secretary-General, recommends that countries consider "a range of instruments" to address the legacy of slavery and colonialism, including justice and reparations, as well as tools to promote reconciliation.
Financial or other forms of compensation for slavery is not a new idea, but the movement urging it has recently gained more ground around the world, as African and Caribbean countries began to voice their demands for this. In a document adopted in July, the leaders of the member states of the European Union "expressed their deep regret that the transatlantic slave trade of colonial times caused immeasurable suffering to millions of people". Slavery was classified as a "crime against humanity" and the document indicated that compensation should be paid. During colonial times, for more than 400 years, about 25-30 million people were forcibly removed from Africa and forced into slavery.
MTI
Cover image: TASR/AP
