【英语语言学习】避难者

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

Dr. Katherine McKenzie has examined the wounds of many people. But she doesn't treat them. For the past decade, she has conducted forensic¹ evaluations³ as director of the Yale Center for Asylum⁴ Medicine. It's her job to verify claims of physical torture by individuals seeking asylum in this country. And the decision she makes for each of these people could change their life. When I spoke⁵ with her recently, she described what leads people to her clinic door.

KATHERINE MCKENZIE: When we think of asylum seekers, we think of those seeking asylum for political persecution⁶. But there's many other reasons. Most recently, we have seen people who are persecuted⁷, detained, assaulted because of their sexual orientation⁸. And we also have been seeing people who come from Central and South America in particular who are persecuted because of domestic violence or gang violence.

MARTIN: How do they get into your office? I mean, what has happened in their process to get them to that point where they're seeing you for an evaluation²?

MCKENZIE: Well, in contrast to someone who is a refugee and comes to this country legally through the State Department, an asylum seeker is someone often who is fleeing their country in a more dramatic way. They feel acutely in danger. And they may obtain a tourist visa and fly to this country. So they're here legally initially⁹, but they can't stay. So they will approach a human rights group or an attorney and say, I would like to seek asylum. Then those groups approach us at the center. And they will say, this person has been persecuted, tortured, assaulted, and she has scars; Dr. McKenzie, could you evaluate her and tell us whether you feel that the story she tells and the scars that she exhibits are consistent?

MARTIN: Can you give us an example of one particular scar and how it coincided with someone's story?

MCKENZIE: There is one man called Pelan (ph), who came from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. And he was a member of an opposition¹⁰ political group. And at one time, he was arrested by government forces who took him to a detention¹¹ center. And for several days, they detained him in terribly inhumane circumstances in a cell with very little food, many people, unhygienic. But periodically, they took him out and questioned him about his political beliefs and his political involvement, threatening him; if you continue to be part of the opposition group, we will kill you. But they used a bayonet. They cut him in several places on his body with a bayonet. And that resulted in a scar even several years after that happened to him. He also sustained some more nonspecific scars from blunt trauma¹². He was beaten by the people who interrogated¹³ him with batons¹⁴ and with fists. So when I saw him, we talked about everything that had happened to him. And then, as I examined him, I saw scars that clearly, in my medical opinion, were consistent with the injury that he described. And he was granted asylum. And because he was granted asylum, his family from the Democratic Republic of Congo was able to come and join him.

MARTIN: Have you ever been unable to corroborate¹⁵ someone's story?

MCKENZIE: Well, in the last decade in this century, we've seen about 55 clients. And I wouldn't say I've ever seen someone who I thought was absolutely lying. But I certainly have seen cases where the evidence is much weaker. Interestingly, we work with groups who send us clients who tend to be fairly well vetted¹⁶. So we work with Yale Law School, University of Connecticut Law School, Physicians for Human Rights. And they tend to send us clients who they think have stronger stories.

MARTIN: This is such a complicated job. Because you are hearing these people's stories, you would have a human response to react to someone who had been tortured. Do you ever worry that your judgment¹⁷ - your medical judgment - can be shaped by the compassion¹⁸ you might feel for a particular client?

MCKENZIE: Well, I consider it a privilege to be able to use this training as an internist to use my knowledge to be able to perform these exams. So I go into it thinking that I maybe have something to offer. But it is so important to be an objective medical observer. And that's one reason why we do not provide care because we really need to be objective. And therefore, I have that first and foremost in my mind. I am not this person's advocate necessarily. So I might be glad, in the abstract, that I can assist people in these very vulnerable situations. But when I'm in the room, I really am doing my best to gather this objective evidence to present in court.

MARTIN: Dr. Katherine Mackenzie is the director of the Yale Center for Asylum Medicine in New Haven¹⁹, Conn. Thanks so much for talking with us, Dr. McKenzie.

MCKENZIE: It's been a pleasure. Thank you, Rachel.

1 forensic   

adj.法庭的，雄辩的

参考例句：

• The report included his interpretation of the forensic evidence.该报告包括他对法庭证据的诠释。
• The judge concluded the proceeding on 10:30 Am after one hour of forensic debate.经过近一个小时的法庭辩论后，法官于10时30分宣布休庭。

2 evaluation   

n.估价，评价；赋值

参考例句：

• I attempted an honest evaluation of my own life.我试图如实地评价我自己的一生。
• The new scheme is still under evaluation.新方案还在评估阶段。

3 evaluations   

估价( evaluation的名词复数 )； 赋值； 估计价值； [医学]诊断

参考例句：

• In fact, our moral evaluations are merely expressions of our desires. 事实上，我们的道德评价只是我们欲望的表达形式。 来自哲学部分
• Properly speaking, however, these evaluations and insights are not within the concept of official notice. 但准确地讲，这些评估和深远见识并未包括在官方通知概念里。

4 asylum   

n.避难所，庇护所，避难

参考例句：

• The people ask for political asylum.人们请求政治避难。
• Having sought asylum in the West for many years,they were eventually granted it.他们最终获得了在西方寻求多年的避难权。

5 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

6 persecution   

n. 迫害,烦扰

参考例句：

• He had fled from France at the time of the persecution. 他在大迫害时期逃离了法国。
• Their persecution only serves to arouse the opposition of the people. 他们的迫害只激起人民对他们的反抗。

7 persecuted   

（尤指宗教或政治信仰的）迫害(~sb. for sth.)( persecute的过去式和过去分词 )； 烦扰，困扰或骚扰某人

参考例句：

• Throughout history, people have been persecuted for their religious beliefs. 人们因宗教信仰而受迫害的情况贯穿了整个历史。
• Members of these sects are ruthlessly persecuted and suppressed. 这些教派的成员遭到了残酷的迫害和镇压。

8 orientation   

n.方向，目标；熟悉，适应，情况介绍

参考例句：

• Children need some orientation when they go to school.小孩子上学时需要适应。
• The traveller found his orientation with the aid of a good map.旅行者借助一幅好地图得知自己的方向。

9 initially   

adv.最初，开始

参考例句：

• The ban was initially opposed by the US.这一禁令首先遭到美国的反对。
• Feathers initially developed from insect scales.羽毛最初由昆虫的翅瓣演化而来。

10 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

11 detention   

n.滞留，停留；拘留，扣留；(教育)留下

参考例句：

• He was kept in detention by the police.他被警察扣留了。
• He was in detention in connection with the bribery affair.他因与贿赂事件有牵连而被拘留了。

12 trauma   

n.外伤，精神创伤

参考例句：

• Counselling is helping him work through this trauma.心理辅导正帮助他面对痛苦。
• The phobia may have its root in a childhood trauma.恐惧症可能源于童年时期的创伤。

13 interrogated   

v.询问( interrogate的过去式和过去分词 )；审问；（在计算机或其他机器上）查询

参考例句：

• He was interrogated by the police for over 12 hours. 他被警察审问了12个多小时。
• Two suspects are now being interrogated in connection with the killing. 与杀人案有关的两名嫌疑犯正在接受审讯。 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 batons   

n.（警察武器）警棍( baton的名词复数 )；（乐队指挥用的）指挥棒；接力棒

参考例句：

• There were many riot policemen with batons. 有许多带警棍的防暴警察。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Chinese police fight? Number one is a person with batons to fight! 满街飘的中国国旗，是一个老华侨在事发时那出来分给大家的，很感动，真的，从来一向多一事不如少一事的中国人今天团结到一起站出来反抗。 来自互联网

15 corroborate   

v.支持，证实，确定

参考例句：

• He looked at me anxiously,as if he hoped I'd corroborate this.他神色不安地看着我，仿佛他希望我证实地的话。
• It appeared that what he said went to corroborate my account.看来他所说的和我叙述的相符。

16 vetted   

v.审查（某人过去的记录、资格等）( vet的过去式和过去分词 )；调查；检查；诊疗

参考例句：

• The recruits were thoroughly vetted before they were allowed into the secret service. 情报机关招募的新成员要经过严格的审查。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• All staff are vetted for links with extremist groups before being employed. 所有职员录用前均须审查是否与极端分子团体有关。 来自辞典例句

17 judgment   

n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见

参考例句：

• The chairman flatters himself on his judgment of people.主席自认为他审视人比别人高明。
• He's a man of excellent judgment.他眼力过人。

18 compassion   

n.同情，怜悯

参考例句：

• He could not help having compassion for the poor creature.他情不自禁地怜悯起那个可怜的人来。
• Her heart was filled with compassion for the motherless children.她对于没有母亲的孩子们充满了怜悯心。

19 haven   

n.安全的地方，避难所，庇护所

参考例句：

• It's a real haven at the end of a busy working day.忙碌了一整天后，这真是一个安乐窝。
• The school library is a little haven of peace and quiet.学校的图书馆是一个和平且安静的小避风港。