US veteran dubbed highway ‘angel’ for using combat first aid to save crash survivor
Veteran James Brown saves fellow truck driver, honored as 'angel' of highways
The Guardian World1 min read
Barbados prime minister announces manifesto for slavery reparations
TL;DR
Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley has unveiled a manifesto advocating for reparations for slavery at a conference in Ghana. The updated plan emphasizes the moral and legal case for reparations, including compensation for gender-based violence suffered by enslaved women.
Key points
- Mia Mottley announced a manifesto for slavery reparations
- The manifesto emphasizes moral and legal claims for reparations
- It addresses gender-based violence against enslaved women
- The announcement took place at a conference in Ghana
- The plan updates the Caribbean Community's 10-point reparations plan
Mentioned in this story
Mia MottleyGhanaCaribbean Community
Barbados’s prime minister, Mia Mottley, has announced a new manifesto from Caribbean leaders asserting the “moral, ethical and legal case” for reparations over damage caused by hundreds of years of enslavement.
Mottley was speaking at a “historic” conference in Ghana to advance the push for reparatory justice after the United Nations adopted a landmark resolution declaring the trafficking of enslaved Africans as the gravest crime against humanity.
The manifesto, which she distributed at the conference, is an update of the Caribbean Community (Caricom) 10-point plan for reparations from former colonial powers. It introduces new issues including the disproportionate impact of slavery on girls and women.
The plan includes a new specific call for compensation for gender-based violence, referencing data that suggests “women represented approximately 30% of the estimated 20 million Africans forcefully transported across the Atlantic Ocean”. It also mentions estimates that at least 1.2 million enslaved women experienced sexual violence.
Highlighting the update, Mottley said that “the compensation for gender-based violence and assault on family” is “no different from the compensation that has been awarded to other nationalities such as the Japanese”.
The draft, which has been seen by the Guardian, asserts that climate justice and slavery reparations are “inextricably linked”, and stresses the need for a plan to support Indigenous people who were in the Caribbean when Europeans arrived and were the subject of genocides.
The document, which is still to be rubber-stamped by Caribbean governments, makes it clear that Caricom is demanding monetary compensation, in addition to other forms of repair such as a full and formal apology, from Britain and other European countries, and education and training.
“Caricom demands monetary compensation as reparations from enslaving nations, monarchies, churches, institutions, corporations and families, for loss of life and uncompensated labour, loss of liberty, personal injury, mental pain and anguish and gender-based violence, for the victims of Indigenous genocide, the transatlantic trafficking of enslaved Africans and chattel enslavement of Africans, which constitute grave crimes against humanity,” the document says.
Q&A
What is the purpose of the manifesto announced by Mia Mottley?
The manifesto aims to assert the moral, ethical, and legal case for reparations for the damage caused by slavery.
What new issues does the updated reparations plan address?
The updated plan introduces issues such as the disproportionate impact of slavery on girls and women, including specific calls for compensation for gender-based violence.
Where was the manifesto for slavery reparations announced?
The manifesto was announced at a historic conference in Ghana focused on advancing reparatory justice.
What data supports the claims of gender-based violence in the reparations manifesto?
The manifesto references data indicating that approximately 30% of the estimated 20 million Africans transported across the Atlantic were women, with at least 1.2 million experiencing sexual violence.
