2006年VOA标准英语-Human Trafficking Conference Calls for Act

Law Enforcement
By Ron Corben
Bangkok
22 May 2006

Human trafficking into sex trade  
  
A conference in Bangkok is promoting greater regional cooperation in the fight against human trafficking in the Mekong River region. Speakers called on regional governments to end corruption¹ and strengthen law enforcement.

-----------------------------------------

Speakers at the opening session of the conference Monday warned that corruption and weak law enforcement are hampering² efforts to combat human trafficking.

Melanne Verveer, chair of the U.S.-based group Vital Voices Global Partnership³, said law enforcement agencies in the so-called Greater Mekong Sub-region, or GMS, are not doing their job.

"Law enforcement turns a blind eye," she said. "In countries with weak law enforcement, victims are not protected and their rights are violated. Justice needs to be exacted and the traffickers and the organized crime syndicates that are behind them need to be prosecuted⁴."

The Asian Development Bank has estimated that 700,000 people are trafficked annually⁵ in the region, for forced labor⁶ or the sex trade. 

Julia Ormond (file photo)   
  
Julia Ormond, the English actress, goodwill⁷ ambassador for the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, says says the number of victims is probably higher, and she says trafficking syndicates are increasingly targeting children.

"We know that criminals are shifting from the trafficking of weapons and drugs to the trafficking of people - especially children, because it's easier to get away with," she said.

Ormond spoke⁸ of female victims she met in Cambodia.

"I met with girls and women from many shelters. Girls so young it was hard to comprehend their fate. Girls as young as five, seven and 12, who had been victims of rape⁹ and sold into forced prostitution," she said.

Thailand is a source of human victims, as well as a transit¹⁰ point and a destination. The Thai Government has introduced laws on the prevention and suppression of the traffic, but Watana Muangsook, the social development and human security minister, says more regional cooperation is needed.

"Human trafficking is not just a problem of a single country but it is a cross-border crime," he said. "Even though the Thai Government had put our best efforts by all means, we still need the collaboration¹¹ and participation¹² from all countries within and outside the GMS region."

Other Asia countries involved in the trafficking of humans include Afghanistan, India, China, Taiwan, Burma, the Philippines and Vietnam.

1 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。

2 hampering   

妨碍，束缚，限制( hamper的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• So fraud on cows and development aid is seriously hampering growth. 因此在牛问题上和发展补助上的诈骗严重阻碍了发展。
• Short-termism, carbon-trading, disputing the science-are hampering the implementation of direct economically-led objectives. 短效主义，出售二氧化碳，进行科学辩论，这些都不利于实现以经济为主导的直接目标。

3 partnership   

n.合作关系，伙伴关系

参考例句：

• The company has gone into partnership with Swiss Bank Corporation.这家公司已经和瑞士银行公司建立合作关系。
• Martin has taken him into general partnership in his company.马丁已让他成为公司的普通合伙人。

4 prosecuted   

a.被起诉的

参考例句：

• The editors are being prosecuted for obscenity. 编辑因刊载污秽文字而被起诉。
• The company was prosecuted for breaching the Health and Safety Act. 这家公司被控违反《卫生安全条例》。

5 annually   

adv.一年一次，每年

参考例句：

• Many migratory birds visit this lake annually.许多候鸟每年到这个湖上作短期逗留。
• They celebrate their wedding anniversary annually.他们每年庆祝一番结婚纪念日。

6 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

7 goodwill   

n.善意，亲善，信誉，声誉

参考例句：

• His heart is full of goodwill to all men.他心里对所有人都充满着爱心。
• We paid ￡10,000 for the shop,and ￡2000 for its goodwill.我们用一万英镑买下了这家商店，两千英镑买下了它的信誉。

8 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。

9 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。

10 transit   

n.经过，运输；vt.穿越，旋转；vi.越过

参考例句：

• His luggage was lost in transit.他的行李在运送中丢失。
• The canal can transit a total of 50 ships daily.这条运河每天能通过50条船。

11 collaboration   

n.合作，协作；勾结

参考例句：

• The two companies are working in close collaboration each other.这两家公司密切合作。
• He was shot for collaboration with the enemy.他因通敌而被枪毙了。

12 participation   

n.参与，参加，分享

参考例句：

• Some of the magic tricks called for audience participation.有些魔术要求有观众的参与。
• The scheme aims to encourage increased participation in sporting activities.这个方案旨在鼓励大众更多地参与体育活动。