PBS高端访谈:乌干达艾滋病患者的福音

 　　JUDY WOODRUFF: New HIV infections and AIDS-related deaths have fallen so dramatically in recent years that it may be possible to control the epidemic¹ by 2030 and eventually end it altogether.

　　That's the projection² in a new U.N. report released in advance of a major international AIDS conference next week. Officials say those goals can't be met, however, without more prevention or treatment and less discrimination for high-risk groups. Of particular concern, they say, are countries like Uganda, where stigma³ and HIV rates have both been rising recently.

　　The MARPI clinic, short for the Most At Risk Populations Initiative, is one of the few public places in the country where gay Ugandans can still come for routine checkups and treatment. Most clinics discontinued these services after the government passed a law in February targeting gays and lesbians with some of the harshest penalties in the world, including up to life in prison.

　　Stoked by religious leaders and passed by parliament, the law tightened⁴ existing restrictions⁵ against same-sex activities and banned anything viewed as the promotion⁶ of homosexuality.

　　President Yoweri Museveni signed it after a team of Uganda scientists told him that there is no gene⁷ for homosexuality.

　　PRESIDENT YOWERI MUSEVENI, Uganda: These people are not born like that. They just learn. And they can unlearn what they learned.

　　JEFFREY BROWN: The move instantly sent some of the nation's most vocal⁸ gay activists⁹ deep underground. Two of them, Akram and Robert, who asked that their faces be obscured and last names not be used, recently traveled to this safe house in Kampala, the capital.

　　MAN: I think this bill also wanted to make the activists to become voiceless.

　　BRANT LUSWATA, Icebreakers Uganda: Yes.

　　JEFFREY BROWN: They came to talk strategy with Brant Luswata, a health activist¹⁰ with the group Icebreakers Uganda. He runs a clinic that remains¹¹ open twice a week, but he says most patients became wary¹² about coming when the law took hold.

　　BRANT LUSWATA: My clients who are living with HIV, I always call them to remember them their appointments. But they don't — the first question they ask, is it safe for me to go there?

　　JEFFREY BROWN: When a local tabloid¹³ published Akram's name and photo recently, marking him of one of what it called Uganda's top homosexuals, he lost his job before the day was over. And his family also made clear their position.

　　MAN: They throw all my things outside, and they show me the newspaper. “This is — this the proof why we are chasing you away. You should start — you should go and look for your life, start a new life. You no longer belong to us. We are regretting why we gave a birth — we gave a birth to such a child. You are a shame. You are a disgrace to our family.”

　　JEFFREY BROWN: But he says many of his friends are in even worse shape because, unlike him, they're HIV-positive and afraid they will be outed by their doctors if they seek help or treatment.

　　MAN: Some of them, they day within their houses. They just perish away like that, most of them, because they fear going to the hospital. Some of them, they use local herbs. Some may get lucky and they heal. Some, they die.

　　JEFFREY BROWN: Even before the law passed, HIV rates among gay men in Uganda's capital city were already three times higher than other men. Now that divide is expected to grow.

　　But those who voted for the law, like member of Parliament Dr. Michael Lulume Bayigga, say that gays and lesbians can still receive treatment like anyone else, because patients aren't required to disclose their sexuality.

　　DR. MICHAEL LULUME BAYIGGA, Ugandan Parliament Member: As a doctor, you may not really recognize somebody on the basis of their sexuality. So that is why they can also access facilities the way they do.

　　However, I think, when we are now talking about stigma, we are not talking about stigma in terms of other people, external stigma. We are talking about internal stigma, whereby somebody ostracizes¹⁴ themselves.

　　JEFFREY BROWN: Gay rights activists are incensed¹⁵ by such talk, and point to a large increase in recorded attacks on gays and lesbians in Uganda, from less than 10 for most of 2013 to more than 150 in the months after passage of the law.

　　And health officials warn the longer-term damages will be more subtle, but very real, resulting from the palpable fear that is driving people away from services they need. It's already happened with Uganda's female sex workers, whose illegal activities make them more vulnerable to attack, bribery¹⁶ and harassment¹⁷. The infection rate among sex workers is 33 percent, more than four times the general populations.

　　Asia Russell, director of international policy at the nonprofit Health GAP, says that ostracizing¹⁸ these groups eventually backfires.

　　ASIA RUSSELL, Director of International Policy, Health Global Access Project: Uganda's rates of new infections are rising. And what evidence has shown is that among the key populations, when you look at sex workers or men who have sex with men, you actually see drastically increased prevalence and increased vulnerability to infection.

　　That's not because of some abnormality that is akin¹⁹ to those populations. It's because of the impact of homophobia, bigotry²⁰, discrimination, and also the marginalization that comes with criminalizing a population. It means people get driven underground.

　　JEFFREY BROWN: But sex workers in Kampala go still further, saying that some of the responsibility for the stigma they face falls on the United States.

　　FMR. PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH: This is a historic year for America.

　　JEFFREY BROWN: In 2003, the Bush administration began requiring nonprofits seeking a share of its massive global AIDS budget to sign a pledge opposing prostitution, saying it is — quote — “inherently harmful and dehumanizing and can lead to trafficking.”

　　The Obama administration continues to defend the law, though its global AIDS coordinator²¹, Deborah Birx, told the “NewsHour” that: “Comprehensive HIV prevention, treatment and care services for sex workers remain top priorities for the U.S., critical to achieving an AIDS-free generation.”

　　But many public health groups said being forced to publicly oppose the practice would make their job much more difficult in places where distrust already runs high, places such as Daido Wonders Inn, a brothel in one of Kampala's slums.

　　Diana Natakunda comes here regularly, usually to work. But, on this day, she's here passing out condoms as a peer educator with WONETHA, an advocacy group for sex workers.

　　The group's founder²² and executive director, Daisy Nakato herself a sex worker, has refused to sign the U.S. pledge, saying it further marginalizes these women and makes them skeptical²³ of the motives²⁴ of those offering crucial health information.

　　DAISY NAKATO, WONETHA: If one day, WONETHA woke up and signed the pledge, we may not be able to offer services to sex workers. We may not be able to see a big number of sex workers going for HIV screening. We would never be able to see them going for HIV treatment. They will lose trust in us.

　　JEFFREY BROWN: With the resources it does have, WONETHA focuses on projects that help sex workers gain confidence and stay healthy. They're taught to read, write and speak English using situations relevant to their own lives.

　　WOMAN: So, you can warn your friend the police will manhandle you. The police is manhandling me, and the police manhandled you or the police manhandled them.

　　JEFFREY BROWN: When night falls on Daido Wonders Inn, the sex workers say those skills lead to more dialogue with customers, more use of condoms and less violence.

　　Daisy Nakato believes that not signing the pledge has caused WONETHA millions of dollars over the years.

　　DAISY NAKATO: Whether all donors²⁵ put pledges on their funding, I will remain with my value. I will remain fighting the police. I will remain fighting the bad laws. I will remain fighting to make sure that sex workers have access to services, no matter what it takes.

　　JEFFREY BROWN: Meanwhile on the other side of town, Akram, the once vocal gay activist, says he's just about given up his fight.

　　MAN: Living in Uganda is living in a hell. This is the worst gay place to be in — in this Uganda.

　　JEFFREY BROWN: Now Akram and many of his friends are simply looking for a way out. He says that for those who are gay, his country offers few other options.

　　GWEN IFILL: If you have questions about life in Uganda for the country's gay activists or female sex workers, submit them on our Web site. Our sources from this segment will answer those questions in the days ahead.

　　You can also see our photo essay on efforts to bring down HIV rates among one of the world's other high-risk populations, drug users along the Kenyan coast. That's all on our Health page.

　　This segment was produced with the support of the International Center for Journalists.

1 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。

2 projection   

n.发射，计划，突出部分

参考例句：

• Projection takes place with a minimum of awareness or conscious control.投射在最少的知觉或意识控制下发生。
• The projection of increases in number of house-holds is correct.对户数增加的推算是正确的。

3 stigma   

n.耻辱，污名；(花的)柱头

参考例句：

• Being an unmarried mother used to carry a social stigma.做未婚母亲在社会上曾是不光彩的事。
• The stigma of losing weighed heavily on the team.失败的耻辱让整个队伍压力沉重。

4 tightened   

收紧( tighten的过去式和过去分词 )； （使）变紧； （使）绷紧； 加紧

参考例句：

• The rope holding the boat suddenly tightened and broke. 系船的绳子突然绷断了。
• His index finger tightened on the trigger but then relaxed again. 他的食指扣住扳机，然后又松开了。

5 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

6 promotion   

n.提升，晋级；促销，宣传

参考例句：

• The teacher conferred with the principal about Dick's promotion.教师与校长商谈了迪克的升级问题。
• The clerk was given a promotion and an increase in salary.那个职员升了级，加了薪。

7 gene   

n.遗传因子，基因

参考例句：

• A single gene may have many effects.单一基因可能具有很多种效应。
• The targeting of gene therapy has been paid close attention.其中基因治疗的靶向性是值得密切关注的问题之一。

8 vocal   

adj.直言不讳的；嗓音的；n.[pl.]声乐节目

参考例句：

• The tongue is a vocal organ.舌头是一个发音器官。
• Public opinion at last became vocal.终于舆论哗然。

9 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 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。

11 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

12 wary   

adj.谨慎的，机警的，小心的

参考例句：

• He is wary of telling secrets to others.他谨防向他人泄露秘密。
• Paula frowned,suddenly wary.宝拉皱了皱眉头，突然警惕起来。

13 tabloid   

adj.轰动性的，庸俗的；n.小报，文摘

参考例句：

• He launched into a verbal assault on tabloid journalism.他口头对小报新闻进行了抨击。
• He believes that the tabloid press has behaved disgracefully.他认为小报媒体的行为不太光彩。

14 ostracizes   

v.放逐( ostracize的第三人称单数 )；流放；摈弃；排斥

参考例句：

15 incensed   

盛怒的

参考例句：

• The decision incensed the workforce. 这个决定激怒了劳工大众。
• They were incensed at the decision. 他们被这个决定激怒了。

16 bribery   

n.贿络行为，行贿，受贿

参考例句：

• FBI found out that the senator committed bribery.美国联邦调查局查明这个参议员有受贿行为。
• He was charged with bribery.他被指控受贿。

17 harassment   

n.骚扰，扰乱，烦恼，烦乱

参考例句：

• She often got telephone harassment at night these days.这些天她经常在夜晚受到电话骚扰。
• The company prohibits any form of harassment.公司禁止任何形式的骚扰行为。

18 ostracizing   

v.放逐( ostracize的现在分词 )；流放；摈弃；排斥

参考例句：

19 akin   

adj.同族的，类似的

参考例句：

• She painted flowers and birds pictures akin to those of earlier feminine painters.她画一些同早期女画家类似的花鸟画。
• Listening to his life story is akin to reading a good adventure novel.听他的人生故事犹如阅读一本精彩的冒险小说。

20 bigotry   

n.偏见，偏执，持偏见的行为[态度]等

参考例句：

• She tried to dissociate herself from the bigotry in her past.她力图使自己摆脱她以前的偏见。
• At least we can proceed in this matter without bigotry.目前这件事咱们至少可以毫无偏见地进行下去。

21 coordinator   

n.协调人

参考例句：

• The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, headed by the Emergency Relief Coordinator, coordinates all UN emergency relief. 联合国人道主义事务协调厅在紧急救济协调员领导下，负责协调联合国的所有紧急救济工作。
• How am I supposed to find the client-relations coordinator? 我怎么才能找到客户关系协调员的办公室？

22 Founder   

n.创始者，缔造者

参考例句：

• He was extolled as the founder of their Florentine school.他被称颂为佛罗伦萨画派的鼻祖。
• According to the old tradition,Romulus was the founder of Rome.按照古老的传说，罗穆卢斯是古罗马的建国者。

23 skeptical   

adj.怀疑的，多疑的

参考例句：

• Others here are more skeptical about the chances for justice being done.这里的其他人更为怀疑正义能否得到伸张。
• Her look was skeptical and resigned.她的表情是将信将疑而又无可奈何。

24 motives   

n.动机，目的( motive的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• to impeach sb's motives 怀疑某人的动机
• His motives are unclear. 他的用意不明。

25 donors   

n.捐赠者( donor的名词复数 )；献血者；捐血者；器官捐献者

参考例句：

• Please email us to be removed from our active list of blood donors. 假如你想把自己的名字从献血联系人名单中删去，请给我们发电子邮件。
• About half this amount comes from individual donors and bequests. 这笔钱大约有一半来自个人捐赠及遗赠。 来自《简明英汉词典》