‘It is high time reparatory justice is made priority’- UN Human Rights Commissioner
“Reparatory justice is not just about addressing the wrongful acts of the past, it is about building societies that are truly inclusive, equal and free from racism and racial discrimination. A comprehensive approach should, therefore, address the past, present and future,” Türk said.
Mr Türk’s strong comments come on the heel of an in-depth UN report focused on reparatory justice for people of African descent, published on September 19, 2023.
‘Strong leadership & political will’ needed- Türk
The Report urges States to show strong leadership and political will in tackling the lasting consequences of enslavement, the trade in enslaved Africans and colonialism.
“It is high time reparatory justice is made a priority, to address one of the biggest injustices in human history, and one that continues to negatively impact the daily lives of people of African descent across the globe,” Türk stressed.
The report to the UN General Assembly, by the UN Secretary-General, sets out a series of concrete steps for States and the international community to address the continued harms suffered by people of African descent – highlighting the intrinsic link between the legacies of colonialism and enslavement and contemporary forms of systemic racism and racial discrimination, intolerance and xenophobia faced by people of African descent.
“It is estimated that between 25 and 30 million people were violently uprooted from Africa for enslavement. The Trans-Atlantic trade in enslaved Africans caused the largest and most concentrated deportation of human beings involving several regions of the world during more than four centuries,” the report states.
CARICOM’s fight for reparations acknowledged
The report cites examples of States and regional bodies that have acknowledged the need for reparatory justice for people of African descent, such as the CARICOM, the European Parliament and the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights. The report also encourages States to actively engage in the elaboration of a draft UN declaration on the promotion and full respect of the human rights of people of African descent, which could provide a global framework to address the systemic nature of racism and racial discrimination.
CARICOM, the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) and the University of the West Indies (UWI) were three regional bodies that had also condemned the attempt by the United Kingdom (UK) to suspend the [British] Virgin Islands Constitution and impose direct rule, following the release of the Commission of Inquiry Report in April 2022.
These bodies have also called for the removal of the Order in Council to suspend the VI Constitution. The Order is being used as a tool by the UK to force the VI to fulfill its [UK] agenda for the VI.
The Report adds that private actors, including business enterprises, the media and educational institutions, should also consider their own links to enslavement and colonialism in their ongoing and past operations and examine possibilities for reparations.
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(The assessment results indicate that about 75 percent of the undiscovered technically recoverable conventional oil of the world, exclusive of the United States, is in four regions: South America and the Caribbean (126 bbo); sub-Saharan Africa (115 bbo); the Middle East and North Africa (111 bbo); and the Arctic provinces portion of North America (61 bbo).)
1215: King John sign the Magna Carta in June 1215. It put into writing the principle that the King and his government was not above the law, protecting rights of the common man, fair trial with a jury, etc.
1) Does anyone know a clear path of how anyone from the OT can become a Governor? NO
2) Can anyone from the Caribbean OT become a Governor and if so how?
3) The UK likes to say if the OTs want independence then all they have to do is ask for it. Can anyone tell me where you can locate the steps and procedures where an OT can apply and follow in order to request for independence? The answer is NO.
4) Where ever the UK goes what are some of the things they do to all OTs....push corruption and serious crime as their narrative. This is intentional as it play with the minds of the citizens and put them to always have absolutely no trust in their leaders and themselves. This mind game is what causes the citizens to reject independence because they cannot trust their leaders and look to the UK as saviors for which they later find out that the UK leadership is ten times worse.
5) What Head positions the UK seek to always try to takeover in all Caribbean OT with their own UK people? --- Police, Deputy Governor, Customs,
full circle moment. :)
The slave trade, slavery, etc, was the greatest forced movement of people in history with no return. In other forms of slavery when the debt was repaid they got the chance to return home. For African slaves, this was not the case. They were transported across the Atlantic in the most horrific conditions imaginable, tied together in the holes of ships like wild animals, poorly fed, under unsanitary conditions, etc. Those too weak to survive the horrific conditions were toss over board like disposable items to a “ watery grave” If only the Atlantic, could talk. The strong that survived the trip were examined by buyers and auctioned off like a commodity. Sold, they were poorly fed, housed, clothed, and forced to work near death from sun up to sun down and beyond. Slaves were viewed as subhuman, field animals, whose role was currency for owners to build wealth and provide for their comfort. Slave labour built economies of UK and the Americas, generated individual wealth/fortunes, built industries, ie, banking, insurance, transportation, shipping and trading, provided generational wealth for the descendants of slave owners, provided source funding for the Industrial Revolution, etc. Neither slaves nor their descendants have benefitted from the fruits of slave labour; everyone else has though. For example, in 1833 under the Abolition Act, the UK appropriated/borrowed £20, 000,000 to compensate some 3000 slave owners. However, to date, slave descendants have not gotten even a simple apology either from the Crown, who was engaged in slavery/slave trade or from the political class.
Moreover, slavery produced a caste/class system with racial superiority, special privileges, entitlements, etc. The descendants of slave owners like to claim that they did not own slaves, don’t know anyone that owned slaves, etc, so they should not be held liable for the actions of grandparents. For me though, that tired dog is not going to hunt nor the canary is not going to fly this guava crop. The question is have you benefitted from slavery and are you still benefiting from slavery???
Working from sun up to sun down was not the only cost to slaves,for they were separated from their families and never to return, deprive of their names, religion, culture, history, heritage, education, proper diets, even minimal health care, etc. And at supposed emancipation they were “ tun loose” homeless, pennyless, barefooted, rags on their backs, etc to fend for themselves after toiling for free for centuries. I can go on but I’m sick and tired talking about the dehumanization, exploitation, expropriation, extraction, brutality, violence, raped, discrimination, marginalization,and so on and on. It is time for reparative justice action. Reparation is not only about cash payments but also debt forgiveness, socioeconomic assistance and programs, etc. Many regional countries and their Prople are are still suffering from the ills and pathologies of colonialism. Some may argue that reparations should be paid by tribal leaders in Africa. Hogwash!!! I’m too sick and tired of being sick and tired to mount a credible defense to that go to defense. Time for action, no more talk.
How refreshing and comforting when review and oversight are fair and balance; history hopefully will reflect that. Nevertheless, the same cannot be said about the Sir Gary Hickinbottom’s CoI, which seems one-sided, findings decided before starting the inquiry; clearly, it does not seem fair and balance and the FCO seemed to have rubber stamped the process and findings, reflecting a night and day difference between the FCO action of 1970 and 2022. History will not be so kind to neither Sir Gary Hickinbottom nor the FCO. Their image and rep will be tarnished for letting the recommendations of a sole,handpicked, perhsos bias commissioner change and disrupt the lives of the citizens of a country because he/they had the unilateral power but without citizens input. That is not democracy. But clearly, they don’t give a rat’s ass about what people, especially Black people, out in a colony thinks or wants.
By the way, how can I access a copy of the Sir jakeway COE? Would the Central Library have a copy? Where is the Central Library? Oh, snap government does not think a central library is important and that $250K was a better investment on a concert than investing in reopening a public library. Is this emblematic of the direction of the BVI. I’m an apolitical Gen Z’er who calls a spade a spade. This is my vibe and who bex, vex. It is way past time for reparative justice for the descendants of slaves who are still being affected by the adverse legacies of slavery and colonialism and afflicting socioeconomic pathologies.
1) Building a new major revenue generator with shipping registry
2)Built a sound Financial Service Industty
3) Save the economy & many lives during the worse pandemic in the last 100yrs
4) Continue to rebound from the worse category 5 hurricane in 2017 (Irma then Maria)
5) Build a strong economy that was a blessing to many locals and Caribbean people to build themselves and their family and their homes where they were from in the Caribbean and locally.
6) Built a modern hospital
7)Health care system is fully accredited and the only one in the Caribbean to achieve such.
8) Built a college that has benefited thousands
9) College was accredited
10) Give status to 1000s of Caribbean people who helped to build the BVI
11) Build homes for many needy people
12) Educated 1000s of people with free education from primary to secondary to local college - HLSCC.
13) Build their people with 1000s of scholarships to study abroad who now have all kinds of qualification like Associates, Bachelors, Masters, Doctorates & other certifications.
14) Build public schools on all islands and roads(these need fixing now)
15) Free Shuttle bus service throughout the town
16) Traffic turn around to help improve traffic in the town of Tortola
17) Put an extension of the local college in Tortola on Virgin Gorda
18) Built a four lane highway in the town of Tortola
19) Achieved direct flights from USA
20) Always pass budgets on time and balanced
21) Build the public service which was neglected by the Governor for years although it was his sole responsibility
22)Build airports and seaports on all main islands
23) Built and developed the tourism industry for which most people are employed
24) Tax break for 1st time land and home owners
25) Built & develop sporting facilities and sport persons
26) Support with annual subvertions to NGOs and churches & other community minded social organizations.
I will stop there for now but there is plenty more this young, up & coming strong BVI country has done on its own through its people and our leaders and we need to celebrate the many good and not just be programmed by the few high powered evil ones as of late to name the few bad areas which all countries have. For me the next step is independence but the UK is trying to play with our minds to not trust ourselves and leaders so we would not be bold enough to take that step but it is the step to take. Long Live BVI & ITS PEOPLE & OUR LEADERS!!! BVI - HOLD YOUR HEAD UP!!! OUR GOOD FAR OUTWEIGH OUR BAD!!!