VOA标准英语2012--Californians Target Human Trafficking

 

Californians Target Human Trafficking

Virginia Isaias was forced to marry at 15 in her native Mexico, and later kidnapped with her six-year-old daughter and forced into prostitution. Her story is told in a documentary now being produced, called Sands of Silence.

Isaias herself is now an anti-trafficking activist¹ who talks about the cost of human trafficking to groups such as this one, in Santa Ana, California.

"They take your baby and give it to another woman and they give another woman's baby to you. So a mother is less likely to flee. They also threaten you and have people watching over you," said Isaias.

IsaIas escaped and paid a ransom² for her child. Her story is all too common, says filmmaker Chelo Alvarez-Stehle.

"Because of globalization, or migration³, that pushes people to move from one country to another and they become vulnerable to traffickers," said Alvarez-Stehle.

Alvarez-Stehle has also created an online game to educate young people on the problem.

United Nations figures show that victims of trafficking are mostly young, and 80 percent are subject to sexual exploitation. Twenty percent are subject to forced labor⁴, and one in five victims is a child.

Officials in Los Angeles recently announced an educational program to alert drivers and bus riders to the problem of sexual trafficking of young people. L.A. County Sheriff Lee Baca says they are victims, not criminals.

"There are hundreds and hundreds and perhaps thousands of young women, young girls under the age of 18, who are engaged in prostitution for pay, and the man that's handling this prostitution of bondage⁵ is someone that we're really going after, the pimps," said Baca.

A measure on the November election ballot⁶ in California would increase penalties for traffickers, provide help for trafficking victims and require convicted sex offenders⁷ to disclose their Internet identities. Chris Kelly, the man behind the drive, is a former executive with the Internet site, Facebook.

"We want to make sure that the worst of the worst, the convicted sex offenders, that Facebook and other online sites - Craigslist and Backpage and whoever else - have the means to track them and basically say, 'You're not going to be able to ply⁸ your trade in this online environment,'" said Kelly.

Virginia Isaias says trafficking survivors⁹ must reclaim¹⁰ their dignity.

"It doesn't matter what happened or what you are living through, what matters are your values and your strength. No one can take that away from you because you were born free," said Isaias.

Isaias wants others to know there is hope for trafficking victims. 

1 activist   

n.活动分子，积极分子

参考例句：

• He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
• He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。

2 ransom   

n.赎金，赎身；v.赎回，解救

参考例句：

• We'd better arrange the ransom right away.我们最好马上把索取赎金的事安排好。
• The kidnappers exacted a ransom of 10000 from the family.绑架者向这家人家勒索10000英镑的赎金。

3 migration   

n.迁移，移居，（鸟类等的）迁徙

参考例句：

• Swallows begin their migration south in autumn.燕子在秋季开始向南方迁移。
• He described the vernal migration of birds in detail.他详细地描述了鸟的春季移居。

4 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。

5 bondage   

n.奴役，束缚

参考例句：

• Masters sometimes allowed their slaves to buy their way out of bondage.奴隶主们有时允许奴隶为自己赎身。
• They aim to deliver the people who are in bondage to superstitious belief.他们的目的在于解脱那些受迷信束缚的人。

6 ballot   

n.（不记名）投票，投票总数，投票权；vi.投票

参考例句：

• The members have demanded a ballot.会员们要求投票表决。
• The union said they will ballot members on whether to strike.工会称他们将要求会员投票表决是否罢工。

7 offenders   

n.冒犯者( offender的名词复数 )；犯规者；罪犯；妨害…的人（或事物）

参考例句：

• Long prison sentences can be a very effective deterrent for offenders. 判处长期徒刑可对违法者起到强有力的威慑作用。
• Purposeful work is an important part of the regime for young offenders. 使从事有意义的劳动是管理少年犯的重要方法。

8 ply   

v.(搬运工等)等候顾客，弯曲

参考例句：

• Taxis licensed to ply for hire at the railway station.许可计程车在火车站候客。
• Ferryboats ply across the English Channel.渡船定期往返于英吉利海峡。

9 survivors   

幸存者，残存者，生还者( survivor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The survivors were adrift in a lifeboat for six days. 幸存者在救生艇上漂流了六天。
• survivors clinging to a raft 紧紧抓住救生筏的幸存者

10 reclaim   

v.要求归还，收回；开垦

参考例句：

• I have tried to reclaim my money without success.我没能把钱取回来。
• You must present this ticket when you reclaim your luggage.当你要取回行李时，必须出示这张票子。