Slavery reparations: What does the UN vote mean?
African and Caribbean nations want countries which benefited from slavery to pay compensation but it will not be straightforward.
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Welcoming the vote, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said that the wealth of many Western nations was "built on stolen lives and stolen labour".
Noting the "barbaric punishments that maintained control - from shackles and iron collars to flogging and sexual violence", he said it "was not simply forced labour".
"It was a machinery of mass exploitation and deliberate dehumanisation of men, women and children. The wounds run deep and often go unrecognised."
The resolution, backed by African and Caribbean countries, is not legally binding but analysts say it sends a powerful message.
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