‘The most serious crime against humanity’: should there be compensation for the trade in enslaved people?

‘The most serious crime against humanity’ Getty Images via BBC The United Nations General Assembly has passed a resolution, declaring slavery “the most serious crime against humanity.” 🗒️ Do you have any reporting suggestions? Send to g1 The resolution also calls for “the immediate and unconditional restitution” of cultural objects, including works of art, monuments, museum pieces, documents and national archives, which must be returned to their countries of origin at no cost. The resolution was presented by the President of Ghana, John Mahama, with the support of the African Union. The intention is to open the way to healing and the payment of compensation, known as reparations. The proposal was adopted by 123 votes against three. There were 52 abstentions from countries including the United Kingdom and European Union member states. See the videos that are trending on g1 The United States, Argentina and Israel were the countries that voted against the resolution. “The adoption of this resolution serves as a safeguard against forgetfulness,” Mahama declared to the assembly. Countries affected by slavery have been calling for reparations for more than 100 years. But this debate has intensified in the 21st century, particularly after companies and nations that historically profited from enslaved African labor formally admitted their involvement in the trade. An estimated 12 to 15 million Africans were victims of the slave trade Anadolu via Getty Images What are reparations and what are the arguments in favor of them? Between the 15th and 19th centuries, approximately 12 to 15 million African men, women and children were captured and trafficked to the American continent for slave labor. They were sent to colonies controlled by European countries, such as Spain, Portugal, France and the United Kingdom. Two million people are believed to have died aboard the infamous ships used to transport enslaved people. The effects of centuries of exploration are still felt today. Both the countries of origin and those that received enslaved people present pockets of socioeconomic deprivation and racial segregation. The intention is for reparations to serve as restitution — an apology and reimbursement to people of color whose ancestors were forcibly taken into the slave trade. The motion tabled by Ghana calls on United Nations member states to consider an apology for trade and contribute to a reparations fund. Activists advocate that descendants of enslaved people receive reparation payments The Washington Post via Getty Images “We are demanding compensation,” Ghanaian Foreign Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa said on the BBC World Service’s Newsday radio program. “And let’s be clear on this point: African leaders are not asking for money for themselves. We want justice for the victims, causes to be supported, education and endowment funds, vocational funds.” But British academic Esther Xosei, activist and one of the leaders of the global reparations movement, expresses some skepticism about the possible impacts of the resolution. “It is encouraging to see African nations take center stage in these discussions, but hearts and minds will not be won at the United Nations,” she believes. “The real battle will be fought on the streets, where people are still misinformed about history.” ‘Today we come together in solemn solidarity to affirm the truth and seek a path to healing and restorative justice,’ Ghanaian President John Mahama told the United Nations General Assembly United Nations via BBC Is there any historical precedent for reparations? Yes! The most famous case of reparations involves Germany. Since 1952, the European nation has paid more than US$80 billion (about R$418 billion) to Jews who were victims of the Nazi regime, including payments made to the State of Israel. But, to date, no country has paid reparations for slavery to the descendants of enslaved Africans or affected nations in Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean zone. Even nations that have formally apologized for their participation in slavery, as the Netherlands did in 2022, have ruled out direct financial reparations to the descendants of enslaved people. Instead, the Dutch government created a US$230 million fund for “social projects and initiatives to address the legacy of slavery.” “The most important thing is to understand that no one is trying to change the past, but to take care of the consequences in the present”, explains researcher Celeste Martinez, specialized in Spanish colonization in Africa. “The legacy of slavery persists to this day, in the form of racism and inequality,” she continues. “Recognizing the past is fundamental to having more just and democratic societies.” Around 12 to 15 million Africans were captured during the slave trade Universal Images Group via Getty Images What could change with the UN decision? The UN itself had already publicly supported reparatory justice. In a statement issued in September 2025, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, went further. He said justice must include “reparations in a variety of forms.” But the UN General Assembly, which brings together all of its 193 member countries, each with its own seat and one vote, had never voted or approved a resolution in these terms. The General Assembly does not have the power to impose reparations, but it can give political legitimacy to this cause. “It is already a huge and significant step, in political terms, that there is this debate at the United Nations”, says racism researcher Almaz Teffera, from the organization Human Rights Watch. “It paves the way for engagement between states on reparations issues and increases the chance of progress in these discussions.” Requests for reparations come mainly from African countries and the Caribbean AFP via Getty Images How much money are we talking about? Among the most discussed aspects of these repairs are who should pay the bill — and how much. Requests were made to companies, institutions and families that owned enslaved people to pay compensation. But, in most proposals, the responsibility lies with the government. In 2013, the Caricom bloc (which brings together 15 Caribbean nations) published its Reparatory Justice Plan, with 10 points. The proposals include everything from canceling external debt to investing in the eradication of literacy and public health. In 2023, the bloc presented a study claiming that the debt of former colonizing countries to the 15 nations of the Caribbean bloc would total at least US$33 trillion (around R$172 trillion). “The State is always to blame for creating the environment in which individuals, institutions and companies participated in slavery and colonialism,” explains Professor Verena Shepherd, from the University of the West Indies in Jamaica, and vice-president of the Caricom Reparations Commission. Fort Elmina is one of many historic trading points that still stand today in Ghana Ullstein Bild via Getty Images That same year, then-International Court of Justice judge Patrick Robinson came up with an even higher figure: US$107 trillion, owed collectively by 31 countries. These nations include Brazil and the United States, which benefited from slave labor after their independence from Portugal and Great Britain, respectively. One of the main problems regarding reparations for slavery is the passage of time. Most previous cases were resolved when the victims were still alive, as was the case in the Holocaust. Needless to say, the calculations are always complex and often become the subject of dispute. Legal expert Luke Moffett, professor at Queen’s University Belfast, in the United Kingdom, believes that these numbers are simply not feasible. “Legally, it’s a huge mountain that can’t be climbed, but that doesn’t mean the parties involved shouldn’t get together and negotiate,” he explains. The resolution was introduced by a coalition of countries led by Ghana, whose president, John Mahama, addressed the UN General Assembly AFP via Getty Images Where are the apologies? Campaigns like Caricom’s are not just restricted to the financial aspect. One of the bloc’s main complaints is that most countries that benefited financially from slavery have not issued official apologies. “The healing process for victims and their descendants requires European governments to issue sincere formal apologies,” says Verene Shepherd. “Some have issued statements of condolence. These statements indicate that the victims and their descendants do not deserve an apology.” For Human Rights Officer Sara Hamood, from the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), this recognition is a fundamental part of any reparatory justice process. “The financial side is just part of it,” she argues. “We have stated repeatedly that no country has fully recognized the legacy of slavery or taken comprehensive responsibility for the impacts on the lives of people of African descent.” “Apologizing formally, telling the truth and promoting education are part of a broad series of measures,” concludes Hamood. MORE

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