2007年VOA标准英语-UN Proposes Global Fund to Battle Human Traffic

By Tendai Maphosa
London
27 March 2007

The United Nations along with other organizations has proposed a new global fund to fight international human trafficking and forced labor², which it says have grown to epidemic³ proportions. The report was launched in London Monday, a day after the bicentenary of the abolition⁴ of the trans-Atlantic slave trade in the British Empire. From London, Tendai Maphosa has more on the story for VOA.

 

laborer5 looks out from the window of a bus as he arrives to participate in a march against child trafficking, in New Delhi, India, 22 Mar1 2007" hspace="2" src="/upimg/allimg/070529/0926310.jpg" width="185" vspace="2" border="0" />

A rescued child laborer looks out from the window of a bus as he arrives to participate in a march against child trafficking, in New Delhi, India, 22 Mar 2007

Slavery is a booming international trade that involves several million people a year being trafficked, according to Antonio Maria Costa, executive director of the U.N. Office of Drugs and Crime. Costa announced the new global initiative against slavery in London.

The United Nations estimates that, at any given time, 2.5 million people are being trafficked and enslaved, although the crime is frequently unreported and many estimates of the number of victims are far higher.

The U.N.'s Costa says the trade in humans is now a market worth $30 to $40 billion and often is linked to organized crime. He says that while there is finally a growing awareness⁶ on the issue, more needs to be done. The U.N. Protocol⁷ Against Trafficking in Persons, which has been ratified⁸ by 110 countries, makes trafficking an international crime. But Costa said that because of weak law enforcement in some countries, the problem continues to grow.

A recent report by the U.N. Office of on Drugs and Crime identifies Thailand, China, Nigeria, Albania, Bulgaria, Belarus, Moldova and Ukraine among the countries that are the greatest sources of trafficked persons.

Mary Goudie, a member of the House of Lords, hosted the launch. In an interview with VOA, she praised the initiative for raising awareness about the issue.

 

"By having this initiative here today in London, it starts once again to profile what is happening round the world," she said. "If we didn't have this initiative people would not know that this is happening. Also, people will realize that they have to open their eyes to it."

 

Goudie added that the British government had shown its commitment to the fight against human trafficking by signing up to the European Convention on Human Trafficking last Friday. The agreement gives victims such as women forced into prostitution the right to stay in Britain for at least 30 days after escaping the grasp of traffickers.

A series of events throughout the world will culminate⁹ in Vienna with an International Conference against Human Trafficking in November.

1 mar   

vt.破坏，毁坏，弄糟

参考例句：

• It was not the custom for elderly people to mar the picnics with their presence.大人们照例不参加这样的野餐以免扫兴。
• Such a marriage might mar your career.这样的婚姻说不定会毁了你的一生。

2 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。

3 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。

4 abolition   

n.废除，取消

参考例句：

• They declared for the abolition of slavery.他们声明赞成废除奴隶制度。
• The abolition of the monarchy was part of their price.废除君主制是他们的其中一部分条件。

5 laborer   

n.劳动者，劳工

参考例句：

• Her husband had been a farm laborer.她丈夫以前是个农场雇工。
• He worked as a casual laborer and did not earn much.他当临时工，没有赚多少钱。

6 awareness   

n.意识，觉悟，懂事，明智

参考例句：

• There is a general awareness that smoking is harmful.人们普遍认识到吸烟有害健康。
• Environmental awareness has increased over the years.这些年来人们的环境意识增强了。

7 protocol   

n.议定书，草约，会谈记录，外交礼节

参考例句：

• We must observe the correct protocol.我们必须遵守应有的礼仪。
• The statesmen signed a protocol.那些政治家签了议定书。

8 ratified   

v.批准，签认（合约等）( ratify的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The treaty was declared invalid because it had not been ratified. 条约没有得到批准，因此被宣布无效。
• The treaty was ratified by all the member states. 这个条约得到了所有成员国的批准。

9 culminate   

v.到绝顶，达于极点，达到高潮

参考例句：

• The celebration of the centenary will culminate with a dinner.百年庆典活动将以宴会作为高潮。
• Everyone feared that the boundary dispute between these two countries would culminate in a war.人人都担心,这两国间的边境争端将以一场战争到达顶点。