3071-The political economy of new slavery

12 Introduction
The final part of the chapter discusses the questions of who is eligible
for reparations of slavery, who has to pay and how much. The effects
of the slave trade were most heavily felt in Africa, yet for some of the
populations in South America and the Caribbean the effects are also
still felt today. Much of the wealth of slave-trading countries such as
Britain was created from slavery. However, the liability extends beyond
states to commercial entities and families. There were also Africans who
played a role in the slave trade. This leaves the question of what form
of compensation should be provided. Since there will be very little
reliance on individual claims, the author suggests dividing the awards
in two: debt relief payments directly to affected states and payments
aimed at civil society groups focusing on social entitlements such as
education and health.
In order to have a consistent international framework dealing with
reparations for past slavery, there would need to be an international
body or commission to investigate claims for reparations, to assess the
quantum (quantity) and to decide the form. Such a body would need
to be set up under an international charter, with greater authority if
under the auspices of the UN. One claim sets the figure for reparations
at US$ 777 trillion. If we remember that slavery lasted for three centuries,
this is not excessive.
The charter would not be the end of the process. The importance of a
Slavery Reparations Commission is not only in its final result but also
as an educative and conscience-raising process. The chapter concludes
by holding out that reparations for slavery are an opportunity for global
society to reaffirm human values.
Contemporary slavery is affecting millions of people worldwide and
several workable strategies to combat this phenomenon have been
developed recently. This book hopes to spread useful information on
the causes and remedies of contemporary slavery and to inspire more
research and political action to help end slavery. In order to contribute
directly to the worldwide campaign to eradicate slavery in practice,
the editor’s royalties earned on the sale of this book will be donated
to Anti-Slavery International.
Note
1. There is a difference between the Serbo-Croat spelling (Kosovo) and the
Albanian spelling (Kosova). In order not to alienate part of her audience,
Victoria Firmo-Fontan spells Kosov@ in this way.