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Caribbean countries to hold slavery reparations talks on UK visit
LONDON, Nov 15 (Reuters) – A delegation from the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) reparations commission will hold talks this week with officials and politicians in Britain on addressing the historical injustices of slavery and colonialism, as well as their lasting impacts.
At least 12.5 million Africans were kidnapped, forcibly transported by European ships and sold into slavery from the 15th to the 19th centuries. Advocates say action is needed to confront the enduring legacies, such as racism.
FILE PHOTO: A protester holds a sign during a rally to demand that the United Kingdom make reparations for slavery, ahead of a visit to Jamaica by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge as part of their tour of the Caribbean, outside the British High Commission, in Kingston, Jamaica March 22, 2022. REUTERS/Gilbert Bellamy/File Photo
Calls for reparations have gained momentum worldwide, particularly among CARICOM, a group of 15 member states that includes Barbados and Jamaica, and the African Union (AU).
CARICOM has a reparations plan, which includes calls for a full and formal apology, education programmes, debt cancellation and monetary compensation, while the AU is developing its own.
A backlash against reparations has also been growing, and many European leaders have opposed even talking about them, with opponents arguing that today’s states and institutions should not be held responsible for historical wrongs.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said ahead of the Commonwealth summit in Samoa last year that he preferred to look forward rather than engage in “very long, endless discussions about reparations on the past”. However, at the end the summit, leaders of the 56-nation group headed by Britain’s King Charles agreed to include in their final communique that the time had come for a discussion on the issue. The CARICOM commission’s visit will take place from November 17 to 20 and aims to “strengthen strategic partnerships and promote a joint programme of public education and engagement on the reparations agenda”, a media advisory said.
A 2025 poll commissioned by The Repair Campaign revealed gaps in public knowledge about the Britain’s role in slavery and colonialism, with 85% of respondents unaware the country had forcibly transported over 3 million Africans to the Caribbean.
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