VOA标准英语2008年-Sexual Violence Escalates with Fighting in East

By Kari Barber
Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo
03 January 2008
 

As rebels and government forces in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo face off in battles in an escalating¹ conflict, armed groups are using sexual violence as a weapon of war to terrorize the populations. Doctors at a hospital where the victims are treated say the numbers are growing and little is being done to protect the vulnerable. Kari Barber reports from the North and South Kivu provinces of eastern Congo.

An estimated 400,000 people in eastern Congo have fled their homes this year because of fighting and insecurity. Armed groups often prey² on civilians³.

And as rebels loyal to renegade General Laurent Nkunda wage a back-and-forth battle against government troops, security in the region deteriorates⁴ even further.

After a recent rebel attack on neighboring villages, a hospital in the South Kivu town of Minova received several women who had been raped⁶ as they fled the fighting.

Francoise Mwamasirika is one of the victims. She describes her incident. "I was leaving the market and I ran into FDLR Hutu rebels on the road. They robbed me of everything and then four men raped me."

Mwamasirika says she will not return to her village, but will stay with other women who have been raped.

Human rights groups say women also are raped at displacement⁷ camps where those fleeing the fighting arrive for help. Assaults usually happen when women leave the camp to look for firewood or food.

Francoise Kayindeh says she feels safe inside the camp, but she has no choice but to go out for food or other necessities. She says, "We have little or nothing to eat here, so I have to go out into the woods to look for sticks to sell." A bundle will fetch Kayindeh the equivalent of about 20 cents.

Doctor Christophe Kimona works in surgery repairing the genitalia of rape⁵ victims. Without surgery many can no longer control urination. "It's not only the operation, but you also have to think about how they will readjust to society. These women often are not married or their husbands were killed while they were raped and the family do not want them anymore because they smell like urine," he said.

Dr. Kimona says as rape escalates⁸ with the conflict, it is also becoming more common throughout society.

Faura Ngabu Noele is staying at a clinic with her 11-month-old daughter Chaunce. Noele says a man in her village raped the child and left her for dead. She says, "The man took my baby in the bush and raped her. When people from the neighborhood found her by the side of the street she was covered in grass, dirt and blood."

Noele pressed charges, and the man is in custody⁹. But that is not the norm here where rapists largely go unpunished.

Dr. Kimona says treating victims after they have been raped is not enough, there should be prevention. "We take care of them, but then you have people who leave and are raped again because society is not safe. What we need is help ending this form of barbarism."

But as attention is drawn¹⁰ to the conflict, the victims are often forgotten.

1 escalating   

v.（使）逐步升级( escalate的现在分词 )；（使）逐步扩大；（使）更高；（使）更大

参考例句：

• The cost of living is escalating. 生活费用在迅速上涨。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The cost of living is escalating in the country. 这个国家的生活费用在上涨。 来自辞典例句

2 prey   

n.被掠食者，牺牲者，掠食；v.捕食，掠夺，折磨

参考例句：

• Stronger animals prey on weaker ones.弱肉强食。
• The lion was hunting for its prey.狮子在寻找猎物。

3 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。

4 deteriorates   

恶化，变坏( deteriorate的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• After a few years' planting, the quality of the potato crop deteriorates. 土豆种了几年之后就会退化。
• Virus activity deteriorates in plasma stored at room temperature. 在室温下储藏的血浆中病毒活动逐渐衰退。

5 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。

6 raped   

v.以暴力夺取，强夺( rape的过去式和过去分词 )；强奸

参考例句：

• A young woman was brutally raped in her own home. 一名年轻女子在自己家中惨遭强暴。 来自辞典例句
• We got stick together, or we will be having our women raped. 我们得团结一致，不然我们的妻女就会遭到蹂躏。 来自辞典例句

7 displacement   

n.移置，取代，位移，排水量

参考例句：

• They said that time is the feeling of spatial displacement.他们说时间是空间位移的感觉。
• The displacement of all my energy into caring for the baby.我所有精力都放在了照顾宝宝上。

8 escalates   

v.（使）逐步升级( escalate的第三人称单数 )；（使）逐步扩大；（使）更高；（使）更大

参考例句：

• As the challenge escalates, the need for teamwork elevates. 面临的挑战越大，越需要团队协同合作。 来自互联网
• I cannot understand why a minor disagreement escalates into a fist-fight. 我真不明白为什么一点意见不合就变成了拳头相见。 来自互联网

9 custody   

n.监护，照看，羁押，拘留

参考例句：

• He spent a week in custody on remand awaiting sentence.等候判决期间他被还押候审一个星期。
• He was taken into custody immediately after the robbery.抢劫案发生后，他立即被押了起来。

10 drawn   

v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的

参考例句：

• All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。