VOA慢速英语--为在利比亚的非洲移民提供的援助落入坏人之手

Aid for African Migrants in Libya Getting in the Wrong Hands

The European Union (EU) started sending millions of dollars in aid to Libya in 2015 to slow the numbers of migrants crossing the Mediterranean¹ Sea. The money came with promises to improve migrant detention² centers. The centers are paid for in part by the EU and enabled by the United Nations.

But, an Associated Press investigation³ found that the migrant detention centers in Libya have become places of torture and abuse.

Background

Since 2014, migration⁴ has been an issue of increasing importance for European citizens, notes the European Council on Foreign Relations, a research group. This is the result of more people fleeing poverty and violence in Africa, the Middle East and Afghanistan, and then arriving in Europe.

The issue became especially important in 2015 when more than 1 million migrants arrived there.

In reaction to the crisis, the EU set up a fund meant to reduce migration from Africa. Some of the fund's money goes to Libya.

Since 2015, the EU says it has spent more than 400 million euros on projects in Libya. Most of the money has been spent through U.N. agencies such as the International Organization for Migration, IOM, and the Office of the High Commissioner⁵ for Refugees, UNHCR.

Libya, however, has a problem with corruption⁶ and is involved in a civil war between the UN-supported government in Tripoli and militia⁷ groups based in the east. The chaos⁸ helps people who are trying to make money from migrants' problems.

The AP found large amounts of EU money have been sent to militiamen, traffickers and coast guard members who exploit migrants. In some cases, the AP said emails suggest that U.N. officials knew militia groups were getting the money.

The militias⁹ involved in abuse take money given to feed and help migrants, who then go hungry. For example, millions of euros in U.N. food contracts were under negotiation¹⁰ with a company controlled by a militia leader. At the same time, other U.N. teams raised concerns about starvation at the same detention center.

That information comes from emails received by the AP and discussions with at least a six Libyan officials.

In many cases, money goes to neighboring Tunisia to be laundered¹², where it then goes back to militias in Libya.

The EU's records show that its officials knew of the dangers of the migration crisis in Libya. Budget documents from 2017 warned of a medium-to-high risk that Europe's support would lead to more human rights violations¹³ against migrants.

Prudence¹⁴ Aimée's story

The story of Prudence Aimée and her family shows how migrants are exploited in their journey through Libya.

Aimée left Cameroon in 2015. When her family heard nothing from her for a year, they thought she was dead. She was, however, held in a detention center in Libya.

In nine months at the Abu Salim detention center, she told the AP that she saw "European Union milk" and diapers delivered by U.N. workers. But those goods were taken before they could reach migrant children, including her young son. Aimée said she would spend two days at a time without food or something to drink.

In 2017, a man came looking for her with a photograph of her on his phone.

"They called my family and told them they had found me," she said. "That's when my family sent money." Crying, Aimée said her family paid $670 to get her out of the center.

She was moved to another place and eventually sold to another detention center. Her captors asked for more money — $750 this time — from her family. Her captors finally released the young mother. After her husband paid $850, she got on a boat that got past the coast guard.

A European humanitarian¹⁵ ship rescued Aimée, but her husband remains¹⁶ in Libya.

Aimée was one of more than 50 migrants spoken to by the AP. Reporters also spoke¹⁷ with government officials, aid workers and businessmen in Tripoli.

EU and UN response

Both the EU and the U.N. say they want the detention centers closed.

In a statement to the AP, the EU said that under international law, it is not responsible for what goes on inside the centers. The EU also said more than half of the money in its fund for Africa is used to help and protect migrants, and that it depends on the U.N. to spend the money wisely.

The U.N. said the situation in Libya is highly complex. It has to work with whoever runs the detention centers to keep them open for migrants.

"UNHCR does not choose its counterparts," said Charlie Yaxley, a spokesman for the U.N. refugee agency. "Some presumably also have allegiances with local militias."

After two weeks of being questioned by the AP, UNHCR said it would change its policy of giving food and aid contracts for migrants through other groups.

Yaxley said UNHCR would offer contracts directly for services needed for the centers.

Julien Raickman was, until recently, the Libya chief for the aid group known as Doctors Without Borders. He said he believes the problem started with Europe's unwillingness¹⁸ to deal with the politics of migration.

Words in This Story

enable – v. to make (something) possible, practical, or easy

fund – n. an amount of money that is used for a special purpose

chaos – n. complete confusion and disorder¹⁹ : a state in which behavior and events are not controlled by anything

trafficker – n. a person who buys and sells something that is illegal

exploit – v. to use (someone or something) in a way that helps you unfairly

launder¹¹ – v. to put (money that you got by doing something illegal) into a business or bank account in order to hide where it really came from

diaper – n. a piece of cloth or other material that is placed between a baby's legs and fastened around the waist to hold body waste

presumably – adv. very likely — used to say what you think is likely to happen or be true even though you are not sure

1 Mediterranean   

adj.地中海的；地中海沿岸的

参考例句：

• The houses are Mediterranean in character.这些房子都属地中海风格。
• Gibraltar is the key to the Mediterranean.直布罗陀是地中海的要冲。

2 detention   

n.滞留，停留；拘留，扣留；(教育)留下

参考例句：

• He was kept in detention by the police.他被警察扣留了。
• He was in detention in connection with the bribery affair.他因与贿赂事件有牵连而被拘留了。

3 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

4 migration   

n.迁移，移居，（鸟类等的）迁徙

参考例句：

• Swallows begin their migration south in autumn.燕子在秋季开始向南方迁移。
• He described the vernal migration of birds in detail.他详细地描述了鸟的春季移居。

5 commissioner   

n.（政府厅、局、处等部门）专员，长官，委员

参考例句：

• The commissioner has issued a warrant for her arrest.专员发出了对她的逮捕令。
• He was tapped for police commissioner.他被任命为警务处长。

6 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

7 militia   

n.民兵，民兵组织

参考例句：

• First came the PLA men,then the people's militia.人民解放军走在前面，其次是民兵。
• There's a building guarded by the local militia at the corner of the street.街道拐角处有一幢由当地民兵团守卫的大楼。

8 chaos   

n.混乱，无秩序

参考例句：

• After the failure of electricity supply the city was in chaos.停电后，城市一片混乱。
• The typhoon left chaos behind it.台风后一片混乱。

9 militias   

n.民兵组织，民兵( militia的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The troops will not attempt to disarm the warring militias. 部队并不打算解除战斗中的民兵武装。 来自辞典例句
• The neighborhood was a battleground for Shiite and Sunni militias. 那里曾是什叶派和逊尼派武装分子的战场。 来自互联网

10 negotiation   

n.谈判，协商

参考例句：

• They closed the deal in sugar after a week of negotiation.经过一星期的谈判，他们的食糖生意成交了。
• The negotiation dragged on until July.谈判一直拖到7月份。

11 launder   

v.洗涤；洗黑钱（把来路可疑的钱弄得似乎合法）

参考例句：

• She wore a freshly laundered and starched white shirt.她穿一件刚刚浆洗熨烫过的白色衬衣。
• The gang launders the steal money through their chain of restaurants.这帮匪徒通过他们的连锁饭店洗赃款。

12 laundered   

v.洗（衣服等），洗烫（衣服等）( launder的过去式和过去分词 )；洗（黑钱）（把非法收入改头换面，变为貌似合法的收入）

参考例句：

• Send these sheets to be laundered. 把这些床单送去洗熨。 来自辞典例句
• The air seems freshly laundered. Sydney thinks of good drying weather. 空气似乎被清洗过，让悉妮想起晴朗干爽适合晒衣服的好天气。 来自互联网

13 violations   

违反( violation的名词复数 )； 冒犯； 违反（行为、事例）； 强奸

参考例句：

• This is one of the commonest traffic violations. 这是常见的违反交通规则之例。
• These violations of the code must cease forthwith. 这些违犯法规的行为必须立即停止。

14 prudence   

n.谨慎，精明，节俭

参考例句：

• A lack of prudence may lead to financial problems.不够谨慎可能会导致财政上出现问题。
• The happy impute all their success to prudence or merit.幸运者都把他们的成功归因于谨慎或功德。

15 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。

16 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

17 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

18 unwillingness   

n. 不愿意，不情愿

参考例句：

• Her unwillingness to answer questions undermined the strength of her position. 她不愿回答问题，这不利于她所处的形势。
• His apparent unwillingness would disappear if we paid him enough. 如果我们付足了钱，他露出的那副不乐意的神情就会消失。

19 disorder   

n.紊乱，混乱；骚动，骚乱；疾病，失调

参考例句：

• When returning back,he discovered the room to be in disorder.回家后，他发现屋子里乱七八糟。
• It contained a vast number of letters in great disorder.里面七零八落地装着许多信件。