United Nations report calls for ‘bold, long overdue steps’ to end violence, discrimination against Black people

6th July 2021   ·   0 Comments

By Ryan Whirty
Contributing Writer

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights last week issued a report that assesses the lingering, devastating and destructive impact of systemic racism and violence against Africans and people of African descent, and also calls on global and national leaders to take bold, long overdue steps to eliminate such historical systems of oppression.

The policy statement criticized countries for dragging their feet on human rights reform and ignoring the voices of the globe’s Black citizens as they continue to overcome centuries of slavery, colonialism and genocide.

The report stressed that seeking, establishing and confronting the truth, both historical and contemporary, should include comprehensive discussions about reparations for people of African descent.

“[N]o State has comprehensively accounted for the past or for the current impact of systemic racism,” the report stated. “Some have argued against accountability and redress for historical legacies, citing the complexity of considering centuries-old serious human rights violations and abuses involving now-deceased perpetrators and victims and the presumption that the harms of systemic racism ended with the abolition of chattel slavery. …

“It is time to overcome these hurdles through political leadership, creative responses, empowerment measures and honest dialogue about the impact of these legacies on contemporary forms of racism. Behind today’s systemic racism, racial violence, dehumanization and exclusion, however, lies the lack of a formal acknowledgement of the responsibilities of States, institutions, religious groups, universities, business enterprises and individuals that engaged in or profited from, and that continue to profit from, the legacy of enslavement, the transatlantic trade in enslaved Africans and colonialism.”

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet said in a June 28 press release that delay can no longer be accepted in the pursuit of social, political and economic justice worldwide. She cited numerous cases of racial violence in several countries that reflect the need for change, including the 2020 murder of George Floyd by former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin.

“The status quo is untenable,” said Bachelet, who also previously served two terms as the president of Chile. “Systemic racism needs a systemic response. There needs to be a comprehensive rather than a piecemeal approach to dismantling systems entrenched in centuries of discrimination and violence. We need a transformative approach that tackles the interconnected areas that drive racism, and lead to repeated, wholly avoidable, tragedies like the death of George Floyd.

“I am calling on all States to stop denying, and start dismantling, racism; to end impunity and build trust; to listen to the voices of people of African descent; and to confront past legacies and deliver redress,” she added.

The issuing of the report followed an impassioned debate in June 2020 by the UN Human Rights Council centering on racially motivated violence, human rights violations, police brutality and the suppression of peaceful protests against societal wrongs.

The report focused on the violent, often lethal methods of repression used by law enforcement around the world, analyzing 190 deaths of citizens of color at the hands of police. It found that in the vast majority of such cases, law enforcement officers are not held accountable for their crimes and human rights violations against people of African descent.

Among the cases cited were those of Floyd and Breonna Taylor, who was mistakenly and brazenly killed in her own home by police in Louisville, Ky.

“Existing initiatives indicate that there is an increasing willingness and emerging practice to acknowledge the need to repair the continuing impacts of enslavement, the transatlantic trade in enslaved Africans and colonialism,” the report stated. “Building on these initiatives, States should initiate comprehensive processes to halt, reverse and repair the lasting consequences and ongoing manifestations of these legacies in their specific national context. These processes should be designed to seek the truth, define the harm, pursue justice and reparations and contribute to non-recurrence and reconciliation.

“People and communities of African descent should guide the design and implementation of these processes through effective participation, including broad and inclusive consultations,” it added. “The continued collection of information on lived experiences and history is essential for truth-seeking and recognizing shared narratives, as a means to memorialize not only the suffering but also the resilience and dignity of victims through vigorous and respectful dialogues that provide everyone with the space needed to express themselves freely in a secure environment.”

Much of the impetus behind the UN debate and report came from the high-profile instances of police brutality and racially motivated killing of Black citizens in the United States, a country that many feel for centuries has frequently betrayed its lofty ideals of democracy, justice and equality.

Nicole Austin-Hillery, the U.S. Program executive director at Human Rights Watch, lauded last week’s UN announcement and said America must now take a leading role in confronting past wrongs and preventing future ones.

“The Biden administration and state and local authorities in the United States should know that the world is watching to see if they take serious steps to address racism and police violence,” Austin-Hillery said in a press release. “At the same time, Black people in the United States, those who raise their voices in protest against racial injustice, and all victims of racism and police violence worldwide are watching to see if global institutions like the UN Human Rights Council will take concrete actions to end racial discrimination. The Council should not disappoint them.”

The UN report concluded that there is hope for a better, fairer and more equitable future for the world’s citizens, noting that even with the numerous challenges and systemic ills facing the world now, the time has never been more right for change.

“There is today a momentous opportunity to achieve a turning point for racial equality and justice. Africans and people of African descent, like all human beings, are born free and equal in dignity and rights,” the report said. “Drawing upon international obligations and commitments, States must show stronger political will to accelerate action for racial justice and equality, including by taking concrete steps to implement the recommendations made by United Nations and regional human rights mechanisms, national commissions of inquiry, national human rights institutions and equality bodies. Volumes upon volumes of recommendations have been made. Now, action needs to be taken.”

Human Rights Watch’s Austin-Hillery agreed.

“George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and so many others who died at the hands of police, other Black people who have suffered systemic discrimination, and racial justice protesters worldwide, all demand action, not just words, by governments and UN bodies,” she said. “If the UN Human Rights Council established a strong and independent mechanism to address systemic racism and police violence in the U.S. and globand globally, it would be taking decisive action with meaning.”

This article originally published in the July 5, 2021 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.