世界节假日博览 第120期:支援酷刑受害者国际日

 June the 26th is International Day in Support of Torture Victims. This day was created by the United Nations General Assembly to highlight the horrors of torture and to remember those who have been tortured. June 26 is the day the “Convention against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman¹ or Degrading Treatment or Punishment” came into effect. Former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan explained: “This is a day on which we pay our respects to those who have endured the unimaginable. This is an occasion for the world to speak up against the unspeakable.” He said the day is “dedicated to remembering and supporting the many victims and survivors² of torture around the world”.

每年的6月26日是支援酷刑受害者国际日。该节日由联合国大会创立，旨在突出展现酷刑的残忍性，铭记那些遭受酷刑的受害者。6·26当天也是《禁止酷刑和其他残忍、不人道或有辱人格的待遇或处罚公约》施行日。前联合国秘书长科菲·安南解释道：“让我们对那些忍受残忍酷刑的同胞致敬。全球受害者说出残忍暴行。”他称该节日旨在铭记全球遇难者，对幸存者表示支持。”

Torture is one of the biggest abuses of human rights. The terrible thing is that it is so common throughout the world. Almost every country is accused of using torture, in one form or another. There are millions of victims alive today, bearing terrible physical, emotional and psychological scars. Their torture can continue for a lifetime, with bad dreams and nightmares. Those who torture think up the most terrible ways of causing pain and abuse. This includes rape³, electrocution, burns, horrific cuts, sleep deprivation⁴ and near-lethal beatings. There is still a long way to go in the fight against torture. There seems to be no end in sight to this inhumane treatment of others. Only 105 countries have signed up to the Convention against Torture.

虐待是对人权的最大践踏。但却在全球普遍存在。无论何种形式，虐待现象几乎存在于所有国家。全球如今有数百万受害者，他们承受着身心折磨。这些折磨或将跟随他们一生，他们常常被噩梦惊扰。他们想尽各种办法虐待折磨。包括强奸、电刑、灼伤、砍伤、剥夺睡眠权以及殴打。在反虐待道路上我们任重道远。对于这种非人类暴行，我们似乎看不到尽头。全球仅105个国家签署公约。

1.accused of 被指控

例句：He was accused of stealing a small boy's bicycle.

他被指控偷了一个小男孩的自行车。

2.human rights 人权

例句：In the treaty both sides pledge to respect human rights.

双方在条约中都承诺将尊重人权。

3.fight against 反对

例句：He died after a brave but unavailing fight against a terminal illness.

在与绝症进行了一番勇敢但却徒劳的抗争之后，他还是去世了。

4.come into effect 生效

例句：The new law will come into effect next month.

新的法律下个月生效。

1 inhuman   

adj.残忍的，不人道的，无人性的

参考例句：

• We must unite the workers in fighting against inhuman conditions.我们必须使工人们团结起来反对那些难以忍受的工作条件。
• It was inhuman to refuse him permission to see his wife.不容许他去看自己的妻子是太不近人情了。

2 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

3 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。

4 deprivation   

n.匮乏；丧失；夺去，贫困

参考例句：

• Many studies make it clear that sleep deprivation is dangerous.多实验都证实了睡眠被剥夺是危险的。
• Missing the holiday was a great deprivation.错过假日是极大的损失。