VOA常速英语2008年-UN Security Council Addresses Impact of Conflic

By Margaret Besheer
United Nations
12 February 2008

Representatives of nearly 60 countries addressed the U.N. Security Council Tuesday on the subject of children in armed conflict.  They urged the world body to sanction parties that recruit children as soldiers or use sexual violence against them. From United Nations headquarters in New York, VOA's Margaret Besheer has more.

Belgium's Minister for Development Cooperation, Charles Michel, put the issue in terms everyone could understand. He is heard here through a translator speaking about child soldiers.

"How many of us here around this table have children? Who here in this room doesn't want for their son or daughter the best? Three hundred thousand children have been torn away from their families - that represents half the Belgium children between the ages of 10 and 15," he said.  "Let's think of the cruel dilemma¹ facing these children: kill or be killed. Kidnapped, drugged, abused, commit the worst atrocities² - sometimes against their own family. As a father, as a mother, we cannot resign ourselves to accept this scourge³."

The United Nations has had some success in improving the situation of children in conflict zones. A report from Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon earlier this year cites progress in the Central African Republic, Burma, Sudan, Sri Lanka, Uganda and Chad, but says many challenges remain.

Italy's Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Vittorio Craxi, urged the world to take action. He is heard here through a translator.

"The figures we have before us are chilling and require immediate⁴ action on the part of the international community," he said.  "For the last 10 years, armed conflicts have caused the deaths of more than 2 million children and have maimed some 6 million of them. Similarly, there are millions of refugee children, others taken hostage or illegally trafficked."

Many envoys⁵ urged the Security Council to take concrete measures against individuals and groups responsible, including imposing⁶ travel restrictions⁷, arms embargoes⁸, financial restrictions and other means available to the council.

The U.N. report records violations⁹ against children including killing¹⁰ or maiming of them; recruiting or using them as child soldiers; attacking schools or hospitals; rape¹¹ and other grave sexual violence; as well as the abduction of children or the denial of humanitarian¹² access to them.

A total of 58 entities¹³ - including the Taliban in Afghanistan, remnants of the former Union of Islamic Courts in Somalia and parties in southern Sudan and Darfur, were singled out in the report for abuses committed against children in conflict zones.

1 dilemma   

n.困境，进退两难的局面

参考例句：

• I am on the horns of a dilemma about the matter.这件事使我进退两难。
• He was thrown into a dilemma.他陷入困境。

2 atrocities   

n.邪恶，暴行( atrocity的名词复数 )；滔天大罪

参考例句：

• They were guilty of the most barbarous and inhuman atrocities. 他们犯有最野蛮、最灭绝人性的残暴罪行。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The enemy's atrocities made one boil with anger. 敌人的暴行令人发指。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

3 scourge   

n.灾难，祸害；v.蹂躏

参考例句：

• Smallpox was once the scourge of the world.天花曾是世界的大患。
• The new boss was the scourge of the inefficient.新老板来了以后，不称职的人就遭殃了。

4 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

5 envoys   

使节( envoy的名词复数 )； 公使； 谈判代表； 使节身份

参考例句：

• the routine tit for tat when countries expel each other's envoys 国家相互驱逐对方使节这种惯常的报复行动
• Marco Polo's travelogue mentions that Kublai Khan sent envoys to Malgache. 马可波罗游记中提到忽必烈曾派使节到马尔加什。

6 imposing   

adj.使人难忘的，壮丽的，堂皇的，雄伟的

参考例句：

• The fortress is an imposing building.这座城堡是一座宏伟的建筑。
• He has lost his imposing appearance.他已失去堂堂仪表。

7 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

8 embargoes   

贸易禁运令，禁运( embargo的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Britain, France and the United States refused to lift their embargoes. 英、法和美国都拒绝取消禁运。
• Its public position is that it abides by all UN arms embargoes. 其公开立场是，他们遵守所有联合国的武器禁运命令。

9 violations   

违反( violation的名词复数 )； 冒犯； 违反（行为、事例）； 强奸

参考例句：

• This is one of the commonest traffic violations. 这是常见的违反交通规则之例。
• These violations of the code must cease forthwith. 这些违犯法规的行为必须立即停止。

10 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

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 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。

13 entities   

实体对像； 实体，独立存在体，实际存在物( entity的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Our newspaper and our printing business form separate corporate entities. 我们的报纸和印刷业形成相对独立的企业实体。
• The North American continent is made up of three great structural entities. 北美大陆是由三个构造单元组成的。