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公益组织帮助内罗毕贫民窟雏妓自新

In the Nairobi slum of Korogocho, underage girls as young as 15 are turning to prostitution to eke¹ out a living. But an organization that rescues child prostitutes says it is achieving positive results.

在肯尼亚首都内罗毕的科罗戈乔贫民窟里，越来越多的少女开始依靠卖淫维持生计，有的只有15岁。不过，一个拯救雏妓的机构说，他们正在取得积极成果。

Some 200,000 people live in Korogocho, and most here eke out a living by working in industries nearby.

肯尼亚首都内罗毕科罗戈乔贫民窟大约有20万常住人口，大多数人在附近做工，艰难地维持生计。

But for others, the choice is tougher. Susan Muthoni,19, became a prostitute at 16. Her parents died when she was just 10 years old and the relatives who took her in mistreated her. She said she escaped to the streets only to find more despair.

但是对另一部分人来说，选择更为艰难。19岁的苏珊?莫索尼16岁时成为妓女。她的父母在她10岁时去世，抚养她的亲戚们虐待她，她逃出家，却发现无家可归的街头生活更令人绝望。

“There’s the harsh weather to contend with -- especially the cold -- plus the money that clients pay is too little," she said. "I have to take care of my body and there are those customers who prefer not to wear condoms. Also, some beat you and refuse to pay. I would like to stop what I’m doing if I get a place where they can advance me some money to start a business.”

她说：“我得能熬得住恶劣的天气，---尤其是冬天，顾客付的钱也太少了。我得照顾好自己的身体，有些顾客不愿意带避孕套。更有一些人会打我，最后还不给钱。我不想再做下去了。如果有人愿意借我点钱，我就可以做个小买卖什么的。”

Non-governmental organizations say underage prostitution in Korogocho accounts for 40 percent of the area's sex trade, and the young girls are the most vulnerable to sexually-transmitted diseases. Kenya’s Ministry² of Health says 12 percent of people living with HIV are children 15 and under.

非政府组织说，在科罗戈乔，少女卖淫占当地性交易市场的40%，而这些年轻女孩是最容易感染性传播疾病。肯尼亚卫生部说，12%的艾滋病毒携带者是15岁及以下的未成年人。

A group called "The Miss Koch Initiative" is working to change this. It was formed in 2001 to stop the high incidence of rape³ in the slum.

一个名叫“科赫小姐行动” （The Miss Koch Initiative）的组织正在行动，努力改变现状。这个组织是在2001年成立的，旨在抑制科罗戈乔强奸案的高发率。

“Basically it was started to curb⁴ the rape cases and to ensure that girls would stand up for their own rights,” said coordinator⁵ Rukia Nyambura, who noted⁶ that empowering girls is the best way to combat the sexual exploitation.

 “科赫小姐行动”协调人鲁基娅?尼亚姆布拉说：“基本上我们成立之初就是为了抑制强奸案的发生，确保女孩子们维护自己的权益。” 她说，让女孩们拥有力量，是与性剥削抗争的最有效的方式。

Through mentoring⁷, she said Miss Koch has successfully helped 15 girls leave the life of prostitution, and these girls now counsel others on how to avoid returning to the streets.

她说，通过辅导，“科赫小姐”已经成功地帮助15名女孩摆脱了卖淫生活，这些女孩如今也在劝导其他女孩如何避免重返街头卖淫。

Linda Morgan, 25, is one of the success stories. She said Miss Koch helped her acquire the skills to make money so she could quit prostitution.

25岁的琳达?摩根就是其中一个成功的例子。她说，“科赫小姐”帮助她掌握挣钱的技能，让她可以摆脱卖淫的生活。

“After I have gone through their sessions and their training I was in a position to at least change and be able to communicate to be aggressive and also to be confident in myself and know that after [the] streets there’s something else better to do that you can sustain yourself and have a better livelihood,” she said.

摩根还在“科赫小姐行动”组织中当辅导员。她说：“我在参加了他们所有的讲座和培训之后，我知道我至少可以改变自己，并且与他人沟通，把自己变得更为积极主动，更有信心。我知道，离开街头之后，我可以自食其力，能做更好的事情。”

Morgan and the others make handbags, sandals and necklaces, which are sold at exhibitions and trade fairs. They make about $1,000 a month that provides both an income and money to invest in raw materials.

摩根和其他女孩制作手提包、凉鞋和项链，这些手工艺品将在展交会上出售。她们每个月能赚大约1000美元，这足够她们维持生活和购买生产原料的了。

Some of the money also is used for training. They have set up a computer lab and offer courses to slum residents for a small fee.

还有一部分收入也会被用来做培训。他们设立了一个电脑房，在这里给贫民窟的居民上课，只收取少量费用。

The Miss Koch Initiative has plans to reach out to even more young women and girls to help them get a new start on a life with hope and dignity.

“科赫小姐行动”正打算联系更多的年轻女性和未成年少女，帮助她们开始新的生活，---一个有希望、有尊严的生活。