VOA标准英语2010年-Koranic Teachers Arrested for Forcing

Senegalese authorities have arrested seven Koranic teachers for forcing children to beg in Dakar.

 

Senegalese police arrested the seven Koranic teachers, also known as marabouts, after the government announced a crackdown on begging in the capital.

Human Rights Watch Researcher Matt Wells said police interviewed more than twenty young boys who were under the care of the Koranic teachers.

"Apparently¹ they used the testimony² of a fair number of kids that they rounded up to find these seven marabouts and then they arrested them and quickly prosecuted³ them," he said.

The teachers have admitted to forcing their students to beg. The verdict and sentencing is scheduled for next Wednesday.

News reports say each teacher admitted to forcing the students, known as talibe, to beg on the streets each day. The teachers said they have been doing this for a long time and did not think they would be arrested for the practice.

Last week, Prime Minister Souleymane Ndene Ndiaye, said the government would enforce the country's law prohibiting voluntary and forced begging.

Human Rights Watch released a report earlier this year that described how thousands of children are forced to beg in the streets by the marabouts.

Wells, who authored the report, said these arrests signal positive efforts to stop the practice of forced begging among children. "The prosecution⁴ of these seven demonstrates certainly some level of engagement and will on the part of the government to really combat this problem more at its root," he said.

The teachers said they each had between 10 and 50 students in their care.

UNICEF estimates that there are nearly 100,000 talibe in Senegal who are forced to beg. Wells added that what happens to the children is equally as important as arresting the marabouts.

"The government needs to make sure that the kids that are being rounded up, that the kids that are still left in these daaras, that there are adequate protection mechanisms⁵ in place to get them back to their families but to make sure in the meantime that they are adequately provided for," he said. "But if that's done, I think clearly this represents a positive step on the part of the government."

Some of the talibe who were under the care of the arrested marabouts have been taken to a government-run center known as the Ginddi Center. The center's director, Sarata Diallo, said the children are now in good hands.

The Koranic teachers will be sentenced next Wednesday. Prosecutors⁶ has asked they serve six months in prison with two years of probation⁷. The defense⁸ has asked for leniency⁹, because the law was never applied¹⁰ in the past.
 

1 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

2 testimony   

n.证词；见证，证明

参考例句：

• The testimony given by him is dubious.他所作的证据是可疑的。
• He was called in to bear testimony to what the police officer said.他被传入为警官所说的话作证。

3 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》。

4 prosecution   

n.起诉，告发，检举，执行，经营

参考例句：

• The Smiths brought a prosecution against the organizers.史密斯家对组织者们提出起诉。
• He attempts to rebut the assertion made by the prosecution witness.他试图反驳原告方证人所作的断言。

5 mechanisms   

n.机械( mechanism的名词复数 )；机械装置；[生物学] 机制；机械作用

参考例句：

• The research will provide direct insight into molecular mechanisms. 这项研究将使人能够直接地了解分子的机理。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He explained how the two mechanisms worked. 他解释这两台机械装置是如何工作的。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 prosecutors   

检举人( prosecutor的名词复数 )； 告发人； 起诉人； 公诉人

参考例句：

• In some places,public prosecutors are elected rather than appointed. 在有些地方，检察官是经选举而非任命产生的。 来自口语例句
• You've been summoned to the Prosecutors' Office, 2 days later. 你在两天以后被宣到了检察官的办公室。

7 probation   

n.缓刑(期)，(以观后效的)察看；试用(期)

参考例句：

• The judge did not jail the young man,but put him on probation for a year.法官没有把那个年轻人关进监狱，而且将他缓刑察看一年。
• His salary was raised by 800 yuan after his probation.试用期满以后，他的工资增加了800元。

8 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

9 leniency   

n.宽大（不严厉）

参考例句：

• udges are advised to show greater leniency towards first-time offenders.建议法官对初犯者宽大处理。
• Police offer leniency to criminals in return for information.警方给罪犯宽大处理以换取情报。

10 applied   

adj.应用的；v.应用，适用

参考例句：

• She plans to take a course in applied linguistics.她打算学习应用语言学课程。
• This cream is best applied to the face at night.这种乳霜最好晚上擦脸用。