Permanent Mission of India
New York
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Declaration of the Trafficking of Enslaved Africans and Racialised Chattel Enslavement of Africans as the Gravest Crime Against Humanity

Statement by Ms. Bhavika Mangalanandan, First Secretary

31 March 2026

Madam President, 

     As a country that has experienced the brutal consequences of colonialism, India is acutely aware of the pain of slavery. Tens of thousands of slaves were procured by the Dutch East India company from the current Malabar, Coromandel coastal regions as well as from the Bengal province and transported to the Dutch colonies in Africa and South East Asia to work under exceptionally harsh conditions of plantations and mines. Nearly 1.6 million Indians primarily from the current Indian states of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh were transported to British, French, and Dutch colonies between 1834 and 1920 to work on sugar, tea, and cocoa plantations as a replacement for enslaved labor . They may not have been called slaves; but the harsh terms set in their agreement or Girmits – that led them to be called as Girmitiyas or the Indian Indentured Labourers, was no different from servitude – as history of the countries in the Carribean, South East Asia or Africa would attest. Though the current text focuses exclusively on Africa, we would like to remind the august hall that slave trade was never limited to the continent, and should not be seen as such. However, we support the text, given the acute need to recognize grave crimes of the past, the need for truth and reconciliation, so that the countries can move forward.

We would also like to clarify India’s position on some of the provisions set out in the resolution. (i) The Manden Charter, mentioned in Para 19, while historically significant, should not lead to selective recognition or elevation of regional or oral traditions to universal status. We fear that doing so risks politicization and fragmentation of established norms. (ii) the reaffirmation of Draft Articles on Responsibility of States for Internationally Wrongful Acts as mentioned in PP31 requires nuanced approach and the reference in the resolution will not be construed as altering India’s traditional approach to it.

Thank you chair.