2006年VOA标准英语-Haiti Struggles with Gun Violence

By Amelia Shaw
Port-au-Prince
20 January 2006
 

Red Cross with victim of violence  
  
Haiti continues to struggle with violence and instability in the wake of its upcoming presidential elections in February. Gun violence and kidnappings threaten the lives of thousands of people every day in the country's capital, Port-au-Prince. A leading humanitarian¹ aid organization says the situation is only getting worse.

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The international humanitarian organization Doctors Without Borders released a statement Thursday appealing for armed groups to respect the safety of civilians² and aid workers, and allow the wounded safe access to medical care. Their appeal comes in response to a dramatic increase in gun violence in the city.

At a news conference in the capital on Thursday, the group's head of mission, Dr. Ali Besnaci, said that it is unacceptable that the recent wave of violence is claiming so many victims of civil society. He says he fears the violence will only get worse. 

 
Child receiving treatment
  
Since August of 2005, Doctors Without Borders has operated St. Catherine Hospital in the precarious³ slum of Cité Soleil, where more than 250,000 Haitians live in crowded shacks⁴ along the waterfront. For the residents of Cité Soleil, St. Catherine's is the only access they have to medical care.

Dr. Loris de Felippi, who directs the hospital, says that many of the victims are women and children. "We had a young girl with a bullet in the stomach, we just finished the intervention⁵, and the situation is serious. And yesterday, this is really unbelievable, but we had an infant of 11 months with a bullet in the back," he said.

Victims wait to get in clinic for treatment  
  
He says that while 34 people were wounded by gunfire in November, the hospital treated over 80 gunshot victims in December, and in the first two weeks of January alone, over 60 gunshot victims have been treated. Six of them have died. Dr. De Felippi says that these are the cases the hospital knows about. Many other people are wounded or die, and are never reported.

A five-year-old boy named Henri has been brought into the emergency room with a gunshot wound. 

 
Wounded child with nurse
  
He says he was at home when bullets tore through his house and one hit him in his leg. A man near his house found him and carried him here. He says that he hopes his mother will come find him soon.

Since the departure of former president Jean-Bertrand Aristide in February 2004, security has been a major problem in Haiti, particularly in the capital. Armed gangs loyal to Mr. Aristide control many of the slums, and kidnappings have increased to epidemic⁶ levels.

The United Nations sent a peacekeeping mission of more than 7,000 troops in June of 2004 to stabilize⁷ the country. On Tuesday, two U.N. peacekeepers from Jordan were killed in Cité Soleil.

1 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。

2 civilians   

平民，百姓( civilian的名词复数 )； 老百姓

参考例句：

• the bloody massacre of innocent civilians 对无辜平民的血腥屠杀
• At least 300 civilians are unaccounted for after the bombing raids. 遭轰炸袭击之后，至少有300名平民下落不明。

3 precarious   

adj.不安定的，靠不住的；根据不足的

参考例句：

• Our financial situation had become precarious.我们的财务状况已变得不稳定了。
• He earned a precarious living as an artist.作为一个艺术家，他过得是朝不保夕的生活。

4 shacks   

n.窝棚，简陋的小屋( shack的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• They live in shacks which they made out of wood. 他们住在用木头搭成的简陋的小屋里。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Most people in Port au-Prince live in tin shacks. 太子港的大多数居民居住在铁皮棚里。 来自互联网

5 intervention   

n.介入，干涉，干预

参考例句：

• The government's intervention in this dispute will not help.政府对这场争论的干预不会起作用。
• Many people felt he would be hostile to the idea of foreign intervention.许多人觉得他会反对外来干预。

6 epidemic   

n.流行病；盛行；adj.流行性的，流传极广的

参考例句：

• That kind of epidemic disease has long been stamped out.那种传染病早已绝迹。
• The authorities tried to localise the epidemic.当局试图把流行病限制在局部范围。

7 stabilize   

vt.（使）稳定，使稳固，使稳定平衡；vi.稳定

参考例句：

• They are eager to stabilize currencies.他们急于稳定货币。
• His blood pressure tended to stabilize.他的血压趋向稳定。