JamzNG Latest News, Gist, Entertainment in Nigeria
More than 30 million people were forcibly expelled from Africa and sentenced to live as slaves.
Yet no country involved in slavery or colonialism is fully able to confront this past.
Speaking at a high-level dialogue on Reparatory Justice in Geneva, Türk said transatlantic trade is an organized system of domination that treats tens of millions of African men, women and children as commodities.
Women and girls experience particularly severe abuse, including sexual and gender-based violence, he underlined.
Reiterating that the legacy of this injustice still exists today, Türk told delegates that “its consequences – along with colonialism in general – continues to shape who has opportunity, security, and power – and who does not.”
Calls for reparatory justice are growing, said High Commissioner Türk. Some states, universities, religious groups and businesses are beginning to speak out against their historic role in African slavery.
Racism in everyday life
Racism can be found in everyday life, from work and housing to education and health services, the UN human rights chief said.
In some areas, police are several times more likely to use force against people of African descent, while diaspora people are also overrepresented in prisons and the criminal justice system.
Türk also warned that the rise of technology could exacerbate existing inequalities.
AI can cause bias
“Artificial intelligence and other technologies have reproduced human biases,” he said. “If we are not careful, this could exacerbate systemic racism against Africans and people of African descent.”
Mr Türk stressed that reparatory justice should not be understood as financial compensation alone.
Instead, it should include confronting the truth about the past, formal apologies, truth-seeking initiatives, and commemorations that acknowledge the experiences and contributions of African and African-descendant peoples.
Other steps could include the return of cultural artifacts, compensation, education and awareness-raising, and medical and psychosocial support to address intergenerational trauma.
UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR) has grown series of explanations to help countries advance reparatory justice, by highlighting key steps and examples of action, including apologies.
Still failed
“No country has yet fully taken into account the devastating impact of racism in the past or currently occurring,” he continued. He stressed that many countries still lack anti-racism laws and less than one in four countries have comprehensive anti-discrimination laws.
Calling for stronger implementation of existing laws and targeted investment to remove barriers affecting access to health services, housing, education, justice and employment, he said that Africans and people of African descent, especially women, must be at the center of reparations efforts.
Mr Türk urged reform of the international financial architecture, including measures to address this reduce unsustainable debt and strengthen the participation of African countries in international decision-making.
“A child born in 2026 should not bear the burden of centuries of racial discrimination and the horrors of the past,” he concluded.
