VOA常速英语2007年-UN Rebukes Sudan Over Human Rights Abuses in Da

By Lisa Schlein
Geveva
12 December 2007

A group of UN experts has criticized the government of Sudan for failing to implement¹ most of the recommendations made by special investigators³ to the conflict-racked Darfur region. The group presented its report to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva from where Lisa Schlein reports for VOA.

This group was set up to work with the government of Sudan to help it implement the recommendations made by previous investigators to Darfur.

Special representative on the human rights situation in Sudan, Sima Samar, says the government cooperated and worked well with the Group in procedural terms.

"However, in terms of substance, it observed that few recommendations were fully⁴ implemented⁵ or had a tangible⁶ impact...While first steps have been made by the government, with regard to many of the recommendations, they have not yielded sufficient impact according to the reports received by organizations operational in Darfur...The group remains⁷ concerned that reports received indicate clearly that with very few exceptions, these efforts have not yet led to an improvement of the situation of human rights in Darfur," he said.

Recommendations made by previous fact-finding missions go to the heart of the four-year old conflict, which has claimed more than 200,000 lives and displaced more than two million people.

For example, the investigators have urged the government of Sudan to prohibit its armed forces and any militias⁸ under its control from attacking civilians⁹, their land and livestock¹⁰. They have called for an end to the forcible recruitment of child soldiers.

They have told the government to stop the rape¹¹ and sexual abuse of women and girls. They also have called on the government to bring people guilty of crimes to justice.

UN Special investigator², Philip Alston, says human rights abuse in Darfur remains rampant¹². He cites some statistics regarding violence against children and humanitarian¹³ workers. "In September, there were 40 cases of sexually transmitted diseases reported in children under five. In terms of humanitarian workers, there is the Zoe's Ark disaster, but we should also note that 118 staff have been taken hostage this year, more than 59 physically¹⁴ or sexually assaulted and 12 killed," he said.

The Sudanese representative says he appreciates the cooperative relationship his government has formed with the UN rights group. But he says the situation in Darfur is steadily¹⁵ improving. This can be seen, he says, by the fact that almost 400,000 internally displaced people have returned to their homes this year.

The UN experts say they cannot verify this.However, they say UN figures on the ground indicate that, since the beginning of the year, 267,000 people have been newly displaced in Darfur.

1 implement   

n.(pl.)工具，器具；vt.实行，实施，执行

参考例句：

• Don't undertake a project unless you can implement it.不要承担一项计划，除非你能完成这项计划。
• The best implement for digging a garden is a spade.在花园里挖土的最好工具是铁锹。

2 investigator   

n.研究者，调查者，审查者

参考例句：

• He was a special investigator for the FBI.他是联邦调查局的特别调查员。
• The investigator was able to deduce the crime and find the criminal.调查者能够推出犯罪过程并锁定罪犯。

3 investigators   

n.调查者，审查者( investigator的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• This memo could be the smoking gun that investigators have been looking for. 这份备忘录可能是调查人员一直在寻找的证据。
• The team consisted of six investigators and two secretaries. 这个团队由六个调查人员和两个秘书组成。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

5 implemented   

v.实现( implement的过去式和过去分词 )；执行；贯彻；使生效

参考例句：

• This agreement, if not implemented, is a mere scrap of paper. 这个协定如不执行只不过是一纸空文。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The economy is in danger of collapse unless far-reaching reforms are implemented. 如果不实施影响深远的改革，经济就面临崩溃的危险。 来自辞典例句

6 tangible   

adj.有形的，可触摸的，确凿的，实际的

参考例句：

• The policy has not yet brought any tangible benefits.这项政策还没有带来任何实质性的好处。
• There is no tangible proof.没有确凿的证据。

7 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。

8 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

9 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。

10 livestock   

n.家畜，牲畜

参考例句：

• Both men and livestock are flourishing.人畜两旺。
• The heavy rains and flooding killed scores of livestock.暴雨和大水淹死了许多牲口。

11 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。

12 rampant   

adj.(植物)蔓生的；狂暴的，无约束的

参考例句：

• Sickness was rampant in the area.该地区疾病蔓延。
• You cannot allow children to rampant through the museum.你不能任由小孩子在博物馆里乱跑。

13 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。

14 physically   

adj.物质上，体格上，身体上，按自然规律

参考例句：

• He was out of sorts physically,as well as disordered mentally.他浑身不舒服，心绪也很乱。
• Every time I think about it I feel physically sick.一想起那件事我就感到极恶心。

15 steadily   

adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地

参考例句：

• The scope of man's use of natural resources will steadily grow.人类利用自然资源的广度将日益扩大。
• Our educational reform was steadily led onto the correct path.我们的教学改革慢慢上轨道了。