International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade | 25 March

MESSAGE FROM THE CARICOM REPARATIONS COMMISSION

The CARICOM Reparations Commission stands in solidarity with the global community in observing the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade, a poignant moment to reflect on the horrors of this dark chapter in human history. The Day serves as an essential reminder of the inhumane system that forcibly displaced millions of Africans and subjected them to unimaginable suffering in the Americas. We remember those who perished, we honour their resilience and indomitable fighting spirit and recognise their humanity that was unjustly denied.

This observance coincides with the start of the United Nations-declared Second International Decade for People of African Descent (2025–2034), which provides a renewed opportunity to confront the ongoing consequences of colonisation and enslavement by European nations. The Commission’s fight for reparations continues in the context of the Second Decade aiming to draw attention to the enduring impact of these historical injustices and to hold the perpetrators accountable. 

People of African Descent continue to suffer from the legacies of enslavement, manifest in systemic inequality and racial discrimination.  The enduring impact is evident in continued disparity in access to education and healthcare, high levels of youth unemployment, intergenerational poverty, and the denial of the full enjoyment of their human rights. The Commission calls on the global community to acknowledge these legacies of injustice and recognize the obligation to promote healing, reconciliation, and the restoration of dignity to the victims and their descendants.

On this day of remembrance, the Commission renews its call for acknowledgment of the wrongs of the past, the call for reparatory justice, and the call for an equitable future for Africans and people of African descent.