印度防私奔 未婚女性禁用手机

 　　印度北方邦的一个地区议会近日发布公告，禁止该地区未婚女性携带手机，希望此举能够阻止当地不同种姓间的男女交往过密甚至私奔。据悉，该地区去年有至少23对青年男女离家出走，违背父母意愿在外完婚，而地区议会认为他们主要是通过手机进行联络的。此次发布的公告要求父母全面禁止家中未婚的女孩子使用手机，男孩则要在父母监控下使用手机。传统的印度社会有严格的种姓群族等级区分，不同种姓之间不得来往，更加不得联姻。有些落后地区的家庭甚至不惜夺去跨种姓相爱恋人的性命来维护家族的名誉。

　　A local council in northern India has banned unmarried women from carrying mobile telephones to halt a series of illicit¹ romances between partners from different castes, media reports said Wednesday.

　　The Baliyan council in Uttar Pradesh state decided² to act after at least 23 young couples ran away and got married over the last year against their parents' wishes.

　　"The panchayat (assembly) was convinced that the couples planned their elopement over their cell phones," village elder Jatin Raghuvanshi told the Calcutta Telegraph.

　　The rules of inter-caste marriages are complicated and extremely rigid³ in many rural communities in India, with some lovers even murdered in "honour killings⁴" by relatives trying to protect their family's reputation.

　　"All parents were told to ensure their unmarried daughters do not use cell phones. The boys can do so, but only under their parents' monitoring," said Satish Tyagi, a spokesman for the village assembly.

　　Caste discrimination is banned in India but still pervades⁵ many aspects of daily life, especially outside the cities.

　　Traditional Hindu society breaks down into brahmins (priests and scholars), kshatriya (soldiers), vaishya (merchants) and shudra (labourers). Below the caste system are the Dalits, formerly⁶ known as "Untouchables".

　　Caste categories often determine Indians' life prospects⁷, and conservative families will only marry within their own caste sub-division.

1 illicit   

adj.非法的，禁止的，不正当的

参考例句：

• He had an illicit association with Jane.他和简曾有过不正当关系。
• Seizures of illicit drugs have increased by 30% this year.今年违禁药品的扣押增长了30%。

2 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

3 rigid   

adj.严格的，死板的；刚硬的，僵硬的

参考例句：

• She became as rigid as adamant.她变得如顽石般的固执。
• The examination was so rigid that nearly all aspirants were ruled out.考试很严，几乎所有的考生都被淘汰了。

4 killings   

谋杀( killing的名词复数 )； 突然发大财，暴发

参考例句：

• His statement was seen as an allusion to the recent drug-related killings. 他的声明被视为暗指最近与毒品有关的多起凶杀案。
• The government issued a statement condemning the killings. 政府发表声明谴责这些凶杀事件。

5 pervades   

v.遍及，弥漫( pervade的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• An unpleasant smell pervades the house. 一种难闻的气味弥漫了全屋。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• An atmosphere of pessimism pervades the economy. 悲观的气氛笼罩着整个经济。 来自辞典例句

6 formerly   

adv.从前，以前

参考例句：

• We now enjoy these comforts of which formerly we had only heard.我们现在享受到了过去只是听说过的那些舒适条件。
• This boat was formerly used on the rivers of China.这船从前航行在中国内河里。

7 prospects   

n.希望，前途(恒为复数)

参考例句：

• There is a mood of pessimism in the company about future job prospects. 公司中有一种对工作前景悲观的情绪。
• They are less sanguine about the company's long-term prospects. 他们对公司的远景不那么乐观。