Transtlantic Slave Trade Beyond Apologies

The speaker discusses the transatlantic slave trade and the need for reparations to address the historical injustices and lasting impacts of slavery. They argue that apologies are not enough and tangible steps are required to remedy the descendants of this crime against humanity. Reparations can take various forms, such as financial compensation, education initiatives, healthcare access, and land redistribution. The speaker acknowledges that discussions around reparations can be complex and controversial, but emphasizes the importance of addressing the deep-rooted economic, social, and psychological consequences of slavery. The Dutch Prime Minister's recent apology for slavery is welcomed, but more actions are needed to promote a just and equitable world for all. Hello and welcome to this episode of the Diary of a Lawyer and today I want to talk about the trans-ancestral trade. The Dutch Prime Minister apologised but we need to move beyond apologies and focus on solutions and reparations. So it's too little too late. What is needed are tangible steps to remedy the descendants of this crime against humanity. Slavery as widely now accepted under international law was a crime against humanity and I'm talking about trans-ancestral trade. And as a result of that, if it's recognised that it went on for hundreds of years where millions of people were treated as slaves, then it's time to recognise that millions of people were treated as chattel, kidnapped, murdered, raped and enslaved for hundreds of years. There should therefore be reparations, not just apologies. So just a little bit of background. The trans-antholetic slave trade occurred between the 15th and 19th centuries which forcibly transported millions of Africans to the Americas and other places. Now the recognition of slavery as a crime against humanity gained significant international recognition and condemnation over time. Today it is widely understood that slavery violates fundamental human rights including the right to freedom, dignity and equality. International treaties such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Convent on Civil and Political Rights explicitly prohibit slavery and the slave trade. Recognising the trans-antholetic slave trade which occurred between the 15th and 19th centuries, meaning the forcible transportation of millions of Africans to the Americas and other parts of the world, is something that needs to go beyond apologies and recognition and actually reparation and remedies be provided. Slavery was also prevalent in other regions including some other civilizations. However, not on the scale and the focus that we own today of the crime against humanity that is the trans-antholetic slave trade. The trans-antholetic slave trade is a major part of the crime against humanity that is the trans-atlantic slave trade. And so what can be done about it? It is important that we need to promote human rights and working towards a more just equitable world for all and more beyond reparations which are long overdue. Again as I mentioned above, apologies are too little, too little a step too late and what is needed are tangible steps to remedy the descendants of this crime against humanity. Now reparations have been considered by many as a means of addressing the historical injustices and lasting impacts of slavery. Reparations in this context refer to measures taken to compensate for the harm inflicted by slavery and its legacies. Reparations can take various forms including financial compensation, education initiatives, health care access, land redistribution, we've heard of the Voight-Kasinomiyo in the US and other targeted programs designed to address systemic inequalities and promote the well-being of affected communities. And the specific nature and scope of reparations can vary depending on the context and the needs of those affected. Now advocates argue that reparations are necessary to address the deep rooted economic, social and psychological consequences of slavery which is obvious. They add that these consequences such as generational poverty, intergenerational poverty, limited opportunities and ongoing discrimination persist to this day and warrant specific targeted redress. However I think it's important to note that discussions around reparations can be complex and controversial. Critics may raise concerns about the practicality, feasibility or potential unintended consequences of implementing reparations. Unintended consequences in this case meaning that people who may be tangled, whose wealth is tangled into reparations. There are also debates regarding who should be eligible for reparations as well as how to determine the appropriate methods and amounts of compensation. However these are just academic issues. We know the sort of the inequalities, injustices that have followed generations of people of African descent who are descendants of slavery whether it's Nicaraguan, the United States, Western Europe or South America or being Brazil. So the notion that somehow we don't know who the descendants are should be dismissed or who should be compensated rather should be dismissed summarily. So yes the apologies are welcome. It's a significant step. Some countries haven't even gone that far. Holland benefited from slavery through the Royal Dutch Company or something to that effect. It also benefited from colonialism in Suriname and other areas in the world which are responsible for its current economic fortitude. And so there are a lot of people of African descent who are Dutch citizens and in other Dutch areas and they face the same injustices and social inequalities that other people from African descent in particular South America and North America, Western Europe face. So those programs could be targeted towards education, health, business creation, mentoring etc. etc. So we know what needs to be done. We know the injustices that were got from slavery. We know the United Nations consider it a crime against humanity. What is missing is the remedy so that people can completely heal. And so that was just an observation following the widespread headlines about the Dutch Prime Minister's apology about slavery and we needed to put it in that context. Yes it's welcome but I think more needs to be done. Thank you for listening on this episode of the Diner of a Lawyer. We shall speak again. Thank you. Bye.