Are we condemning modern slave trades or just ones no one living can be held accountable for?
This is about reparations and thats the reason why the countries responsible abstained or voted against it.
Obviously most countries today condemn the modern slave trade. Doesn’t mean they’ll do anything about it but they do condemn it
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Canada is also still a settler-colony, like the US and Israel.
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Here’s a press release from the resolution. The “Transatlantic Slave Trade” as a proper noun refers to the historical kidnapping and taking of Africans to the New World to be enslaved.
The resolution emphasised “the trafficking of enslaved Africans and racialised chattel enslavement of Africans as the gravest crime against humanity by reason of the definitive break in world history, scale, duration, systemic nature, brutality and enduring consequences that continue to structure the lives of all people through racialized regimes of labour, property and capital.”
It doesn’t enforce reparations, but:
It affirmed the importance of addressing historical wrongs affecting Africans and people of the diaspora in a manner that promotes justice, human rights, dignity and healing, while emphasising that claims for reparations represent a concrete step towards remedy.
The US objected:
Furthermore [per the ambassador], the US “does not recognise a legal right to reparations for historical wrongs that were not illegal under international law at the time they occurred.”
I’ll note for thoroughness’ sake that it not having been illegal under international law is basically true but 1000% beside the point (obviously). The US Supreme Court actually heard cases in the early 1800s about how slavery was treated under e.g. the Law of Nations, but evidence was scant that it was prohibited, and the court more or less (oversimplifying) had to make shit up. The important point is that you can’t say “Oh, well the perpetrarors collectively didn’t prohibit it, so there are no grounds for reparations.” It’s obviously ridiculous.
And Europe abstaining… Still very far from a reckoning, not to mention reparations
The vote was about reparation though. https://digitallibrary.un.org/record/4106588?ln=en&v=pdf
I know its the same ol map but the abstaining countries speaks a lot more to their current relationship with the US.
Idk, the far right has taken over Italy, Germany and probably France, soon. The people in these countries, whilst not as awful as Americans, are/can still be very uncaring and sociopathically self-centered on average (I’m a well-travelled frog, not just an “external hater”).
If anyone can vote right after seeing how shitty it is going for the US, the world is lost
there’s an old adage out there that goes: 1/3 of people will do nothing but watch as another 1/3 kills the remaining 1/3.
the people who still don’t know what to think about trump despite everything he’s done so far are the first group; the 36% of americans still supporting trump are the second group; and the third group is here on lemmy (and the fediverse) going wtf.
we’re in that minority and, even then, most of us still believe that the same forces that created trump will save us.
That’s why those of us who are able to organize and resist irl must do that
The only Trans the US Govt approved of
Abstaining is just a soft no. It is shameful that 53 countries did that
I couldn’t find the third country which voted against it, then I found the god’s own people who were freed from slavery by god.
I read 3 voted against so i instantly zoomed on Israel just to make sure.
Jewish Holy Scriptures are not against slavery at all. They go in large detail about how to treat the slaves.
Leviticus 25:44-46
“‘Your male and female slaves are to come from the nations around you; from them you may buy slaves. You may also buy some of the temporary residents living among you and members of their clans born in your country, and they will become your property. You can bequeath them to your children as inherited property and can make them slaves for life, but you must not rule over your fellow Israelites ruthlessly.
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Leviticus+25%3A44-46&version=NIV
Israel. It was Israel. Go figure.
USA and its satellite states - No/Abstained
Everyone else - Yes
Any surprises? No.
US- No to slavery but yes to unpaid overtime or direct unpaid like now.
US is afaik the only country which straight up enshrined slavery into its constitution.
Why does the “international community” either abstain or vote against? Also nice stance by the gulf states - the Kafala system is obviously not slavery ;)
let me guess… US Israel Argentina Ukriane
🤬 Why am I not surprised?
I find the title is misleading. Title implies that the vote was wether to condemn or not.
While I did not read the full PDF (underlaying document for this vote), the title of the document is Declaration of the Trafficking of Enslaved Africans and Racialized Chattel Enslavement of Africans as the Gravest Crime against Humanity and part of it is about paying reparations.
PDF: https://digitallibrary.un.org/record/4106588?ln=en&v=pdf
UN news: https://news.un.org/en/story/2026/03/1167199
US response for voting against: https://usun.usmission.gov/explanation-of-vote-for-unga-resolution/Ummm, and they’re tackling this pressing issue now, why?
It’s about reparations.
Why not? Should it wait another century?
What difference would it make? If they are effective, perhaps they could handle some issue that’s happening currently. If they’re not effective, then who gives a shit what they do.
