英闻天下——82 Experts Call for Improvement of Child Welfare after Orphanage Fire

 　　Forty-eight-year-old Yuan Lihai is the owner of an unregistered orphanage¹ that caught fire last Friday. She had been taking abandoned children into her home for 26 years.

 

　　Most of the children suffered from congenital diseases, ranging from cleft² lips, infantile paralysis³ and albinism to mental disorders⁴.

 

　　Yuan used the money she earned from working as a street vendor⁵ to single-handedly care for 34 children. She has been hailed by media reports as the "Mother with a Loving Heart."

 

　　But according to China's Adoption⁶ Law, Yuan is not qualified⁷ to adopt children since she doesn't have the economic means to care for so many disabled children. Yuan says she had hoped the local government could help her.

 

　　"Actually, I can't afford to raise so many children. If the children were in government-funded orphanages⁸, they could have a much better life than they have now at my home."

 

　　Ding Baoyong, a civil rights lawyer at Guoyin Law Firm in Zhenshou, Henan Province, says although Yuan's "foster home" was illegal, the local government apparently⁹ turned a blind eye to it.

 

　　"It's high time to enact¹⁰ laws on minors¹¹' welfare to ensure children's rights are duly protected. Only when enforceable laws—namely a child welfare law—are enacted¹² will the authorities be able to help 'kindness mothers' such as Yuan Lihai."

 

　　It is reported that some 100,000 children are abandoned every year in China. The government encourages families to adopt orphans¹³ and abandoned children to give them the best possible living environment. Meanwhile, many Chinese cities have also mapped out plans to improve child welfare in the coming three to five years, including reducing the number of homeless children and providing them with adequate shelter.

 

　　However, Wang Zhenyao, a former civil affairs official and now an academic at Beijing Normal University, says the Chinese government still falls short when it comes to protecting children's welfare.

 

　　"The Lankao fire is not an isolated¹⁴ incident. Without a functioning child welfare system, tragedies are likely to happen in other places too. In my opinion, the tragedy is partly a result of China's inadequate¹⁵ child welfare system."

 

　　Wang echoes child welfare laws and bureaus, long established in other countries, are still not on the agenda in China. They are a fundamental guarantee of child welfare and without them, child welfare is little more than a series of well-meant phrases.

 

　　Wang says the fire has sounded an alarm that we urgently need to mend the defects in our social security system and provide better care for orphaned¹⁶ and abandoned children.

 

　　For CRI, I'm Su Yi.

1 orphanage   

n.孤儿院

参考例句：

• They dispensed new clothes to the children in the orphanage.他们把新衣服发给孤儿院的小孩们。
• They gave the proceeds of the sale to the orphanage.他们把销售的收入给了这家孤儿院。

2 cleft   

n.裂缝；adj.裂开的

参考例句：

• I hid the message in a cleft in the rock.我把情报藏在石块的裂缝里。
• He was cleft from his brother during the war.在战争期间，他与他的哥哥分离。

3 paralysis   

n.麻痹(症)；瘫痪(症)

参考例句：

• The paralysis affects his right leg and he can only walk with difficulty.他右腿瘫痪步履维艰。
• The paralysis affects his right leg and he can only walk with difficulty.他右腿瘫痪步履维艰。

4 disorders   

n.混乱( disorder的名词复数 )；凌乱；骚乱；（身心、机能）失调

参考例句：

• Reports of anorexia and other eating disorders are on the increase. 据报告，厌食症和其他饮食方面的功能紊乱发生率正在不断增长。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The announcement led to violent civil disorders. 这项宣布引起剧烈的骚乱。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 vendor   

n.卖主；小贩

参考例句：

• She looked at the vendor who cheated her the other day with distaste.她厌恶地望着那个前几天曾经欺骗过她的小贩。
• He must inform the vendor immediately.他必须立即通知卖方。

6 adoption   

n.采用，采纳，通过；收养

参考例句：

• An adoption agency had sent the boys to two different families.一个收养机构把他们送给两个不同的家庭。
• The adoption of this policy would relieve them of a tremendous burden.采取这一政策会给他们解除一个巨大的负担。

7 qualified   

adj.合格的，有资格的，胜任的，有限制的

参考例句：

• He is qualified as a complete man of letters.他有资格当真正的文学家。
• We must note that we still lack qualified specialists.我们必须看到我们还缺乏有资质的专家。

8 orphanages   

孤儿院( orphanage的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• It is Rotarians running orphanages for children who have no homes. 扶轮社员们为没有家的孩子办孤儿院。
• Through the years, she built churches, hospitals and orphanages. 许多年来，她盖了一间间的教堂、医院、育幼院。

9 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。

10 enact   

vt.制定(法律)；上演，扮演

参考例句：

• The U.S. Congress has exclusive authority to enact federal legislation.美国国会是唯一有权颁布联邦法律的。
• For example,a country can enact laws and economic policies to attract foreign investment fairly quickly.例如一个国家可以很快颁布吸引外资的法令和经济政策。

11 minors   

n.未成年人( minor的名词复数 )；副修科目；小公司；[逻辑学]小前提v.[主美国英语]副修，选修，兼修( minor的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The law forbids shops to sell alcohol to minors. 法律禁止商店向未成年者出售含酒精的饮料。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He had three minors this semester. 这学期他有三门副修科目。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 enacted   

制定（法律），通过（法案）( enact的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• legislation enacted by parliament 由议会通过的法律
• Outside in the little lobby another scene was begin enacted. 外面的小休息室里又是另一番景象。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹

13 orphans   

孤儿( orphan的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The poor orphans were kept on short commons. 贫苦的孤儿们吃不饱饭。
• Their uncle was declared guardian to the orphans. 这些孤儿的叔父成为他们的监护人。

14 isolated   

adj.与世隔绝的

参考例句：

• His bad behaviour was just an isolated incident. 他的不良行为只是个别事件。
• Patients with the disease should be isolated. 这种病的患者应予以隔离。

15 inadequate   

adj.(for,to)不充足的，不适当的

参考例句：

• The supply is inadequate to meet the demand.供不应求。
• She was inadequate to the demands that were made on her.她还无力满足对她提出的各项要求。

16 orphaned   

[计][修]孤立

参考例句：

• Orphaned children were consigned to institutions. 孤儿都打发到了福利院。
• He was orphaned at an early age. 他幼年时便成了孤儿。