Churches and society at large need to offer reparation to descendants of those enslaved, tortured and murdered by the transatlantic slave trade, says an international conference sponsored by three major ecumenical organizations.

An ecumenical Christian commemoration of the millions of Africans who died in the barbaric cruelty of the transatlantic slave trade is also highlighting the continuing oppression of their descendants around the world.

The head of the World Council of Churches has asked PM Tony Blair to change his mind and make an unambiguous apology for Britain's involvement in the slave trade.

A senior Church of England bishop has criticised evangelicals who backed the campaign to end the transatlantic slave trade and highlighted how his predecessors justified the trade and opposed William Wilberforce's attempts to end it.

As the UK commemorates the end of the slave trade, an original sculpture has been commissioned by Christian Aid and National Museums Liverpool from a group of Haitian artists representing their continuing struggle for freedom and human rights.