The United Nations General Assembly this week overwhelmingly backed a resolution declaring the transatlantic slave trade 'the gravest crime against humanity'.
Welcoming the vote, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said that the wealth of many Western nations was 'built on stolen lives and stolen labor'. Noting the 'barbaric punishments that maintained control - from shackles and iron collars to flogging and sexual violence', he said it 'was not simply forced labor'.
Guterres described it as 'a machinery of mass exploitation and deliberate dehumanization' affecting millions of men, women, and children, stating that 'the wounds run deep and often go unrecognized.' The resolution passed with 123 votes in favor, three against, and 52 abstentions, including from the United Kingdom and EU member states.
Dr. Erieka Bennett, leading the Ghana-based Diaspora African Forum, expressed personal significance for descendants of the enslaved, stating: 'It means that I'm acknowledged, it means that my ancestor finally rests.' As countries intensify calls for reparations, discussions on acknowledging historical injustices through formal apologies and educational reforms are expected to follow.
