英语课程计划-International Day

June the 26th is International Day in Support of Torture Victims. This day was created by the United Nations General Assembly to highlight the horrors of torture and to remember those who have been tortured. June 26 is the day the “Convention against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman¹ or Degrading Treatment or Punishment” came into effect. Former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan explained: “This is a day on which we pay our respects to those who have endured the unimaginable. This is an occasion for the world to speak up against the unspeakable.” He said the day is “dedicated to remembering and supporting the many victims and survivors² of torture around the world”.

Torture is one of the biggest abuses of human rights. The terrible thing is that it is so common throughout the world. Almost every country is accused of using torture, in one form or another. There are millions of victims alive today, bearing terrible physical, emotional and psychological scars. Their torture can continue for a lifetime, with bad dreams and nightmares. Those who torture think up the most terrible ways of causing pain and abuse. This includes rape³, electrocution, burns, horrific cuts, sleep deprivation⁴ and near-lethal beatings. There is still a long way to go in the fight against torture. There seems to be no end in sight to this inhumane treatment of others. Only 105 countries have signed up to the Convention against Torture.

1 inhuman   

adj.残忍的，不人道的，无人性的

参考例句：

• We must unite the workers in fighting against inhuman conditions.我们必须使工人们团结起来反对那些难以忍受的工作条件。
• It was inhuman to refuse him permission to see his wife.不容许他去看自己的妻子是太不近人情了。

2 survivors   

幸存者，残存者，生还者( survivor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The survivors were adrift in a lifeboat for six days. 幸存者在救生艇上漂流了六天。
• survivors clinging to a raft 紧紧抓住救生筏的幸存者

3 rape   

n.抢夺，掠夺，强奸；vt.掠夺，抢夺，强奸

参考例句：

• The rape of the countryside had a profound ravage on them.对乡村的掠夺给他们造成严重创伤。
• He was brought to court and charged with rape.他被带到法庭并被指控犯有强奸罪。

4 deprivation   

n.匮乏；丧失；夺去，贫困

参考例句：

• Many studies make it clear that sleep deprivation is dangerous.多实验都证实了睡眠被剥夺是危险的。
• Missing the holiday was a great deprivation.错过假日是极大的损失。