In a recent addressing at the House of Commons, Member of Parliament (MP) Bell Ribeiro-Addy urged for a prohibition on the sale of human remains, labeling this practice as “depraved.” The Labour MP, representing Clapham and Brixton Hill in London, highlighted a disturbing trend where human remains are auctioned off under deceptive pretenses, often disguised as modified artifacts or replicas on various platforms, including social media. She provided harrowing examples of items being auctioned, such as a foetal skeleton displayed under a glass dome, a human thigh bone crafted into a cane, a necklace made from a human jawbone, and even the varnished skull of a six-year-old.
Ribeiro-Addy expressed frustration over existing legal loopholes that allow such sales, and she pressed the deputy prime minister to take concrete action against this issue. The implications of these auctions are deeply troubling, as they not only commodify human life but also often involve remains taken from indigenous communities during colonial endeavors. This highlights a critical need for a reassessment of laws governing the sale of human remains in the UK, echoing the sentiment that there is a moral obligation to address historical injustices anchored in colonialism and exploitation.
Angela Rayner, standing in for Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer during Prime Minister’s Questions, described Ribeiro-Addy’s revelations as “horrifying.” While there are regulatory measures in place concerning the display of human remains, overseen by the Human Tissue Authority, these regulations do not extend to the commercial sales of such remains. This gap in regulatory oversight leaves room for these ethically contentious transactions to flourish, raising significant moral questions about the sale and display of human remains.
The importance of this conversation was validated further when Ribeiro-Addy, in discussion with the BBC, stated that the commercialization of human remains perpetuates a dark legacy tied to colonial histories. She called for urgent action to put an end to such practices while advocating for the respectful repatriation of remains to their rightful resting places. Her conviction is anchored in the belief that restitution should be integral to any reparative justice agenda aimed at addressing past wrongs.
In an alarming recent incident, it was reported that an auction house located in Oxfordshire was compelled to withdraw human and ancestral remains from an auction following backlash from Indigenous groups and museums. Items that had been slated for sale included shrunken heads from the Jivaro people in South America, skulls from the Ekoi people of West Africa, and a horned human skull originating from Naga communities in India and Myanmar. This incident cast light on the ongoing debates surrounding the ethical implications of auctioning human remains and artifacts that hold cultural significance for numerous communities across the globe.
Voicing her outrage over the auction, Laura Van Broekhoven, director of the Pitt Rivers Museum in Oxford, praised the decision to retract these items from auction. Ribeiro-Addy further noted that such sales were proliferating not just in auction houses, but also on social media platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, eBay, Etsy, and Gumtree. She stressed that many of these remains were taken from indigenous peoples during the colonial period and subsequently commodified as collectible items.
The British Association for Biological Anthropology and Osteoarchaeology (BABAO) has also chimed in, declaring the sale of human remains for commercial gain as “unethical.” They emphasized that social media serves as a hub for illicit activities related to the trade of human remains. Existing laws like the Human Tissue Act only prohibit “commercial dealings” when it comes to medical transplantation, not sales of remains as artifacts. The act applies primarily to remains under 100 years old, thereby leaving numerous historical remains unprotected under current legislation.
The current discourse around the auctioning of human remains emphasizes the need for legislative reform that addresses these ethical concerns. It raises awareness of the commodification of human bodies and the historical injustices tied to such practices, highlighting a broader conversation about justice, restitution, and the impacts of colonial exploitation that continue to resonate in contemporary society. The call for decisive action against these sales is not only a legal obligation but also a moral imperative tied to addressing historical injustices.
