2006年VOA标准英语-West African Nations Fight AIDS by Easing Borde

By Efam Dovi
Accra
08 November 2006

Five neighboring West African countries have agreed to shorten traveling time between their countries borders, in a move to reduce the spread of HIV/AIDS infection among migrants and inhabitants along the route. The countries, which are members of the World Bank sponsored Abidjan-Lagos Corridor Project, include Cote D'Ivoire, Ghana, Togo, Benin and Nigeria.

 

A young HIV-infected woman lying in an Abidjan hospital

 Traveling along the1022-kilometer stretch of the highway from Abidjan to Nigeria means crossing several borders and checkpoints, an experience many travelers say cause long delays and harassment¹ by border officials.

The Abidjan-Lagos Corridor Project, launched in 2005 to reduce the spread of HIV/AIDS, says these delays are contributing to the further spread of disease as drivers and travelers stop in border towns to visit commercial sex workers and local people living along the corridor.

Justin Koffi, who heads the project, says there is an established link between the time people spend on the road and the spread of sexually transmitted diseases.

 

"For example you know the closing of borders - the border between Ghana and Cote D'Ivoire close at 6:30, so there is no way for you to make it from Nigeria to Cote D'Ivoire within a day," he said, "in the meantime, Elubo [Abidjan-Ghana border] does not offer any lodging² facility, so this early closing of the border turns to transform this area into a sex industry, so this may fuel the HIV/AIDS spread."

 

An estimated 30 million people live along the Abidjan-Lagos corridor, with another 14 million traveling through each year.

 

The delegates, from Cote D'Ivoire, Ghana, Togo, Benin and Nigeria, agreed to work to cut in half the number of checkpoints within their countries by end of the year, and also cut back on border crossing time for people and goods.

 

Nigerian Police Commissioner³ Of Border Patrol Aloysius Okorie says he intends to take some decisive action when he returns home.

 

"The major task for me now is to go back, maybe undertake a tour of our own stretch of the corridor to make sure that the number of road blocks that has been approved is the number we have, no more, no less," noted⁴ Okorie.

 

ECOWAS recommends three checkpoints per every 100-kilometer distance, but this provision has been largely violated by member countries.

1 harassment   

n.骚扰，扰乱，烦恼，烦乱

参考例句：

• She often got telephone harassment at night these days.这些天她经常在夜晚受到电话骚扰。
• The company prohibits any form of harassment.公司禁止任何形式的骚扰行为。

2 lodging   

n.寄宿，住所；(大学生的)校外宿舍

参考例句：

• The bill is inclusive of the food and lodging. 账单包括吃、住费用。
• Where can you find lodging for the night? 你今晚在哪里借宿?

3 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。

4 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。