VOA双语新闻 Child Laborers Worldwide（在线收听）

A new report by the International Labor Organization, ILO, says child labor, especially in its worst forms, is in decline for the first time across the globe. Between 2000 and 2004, the ILO report finds the number of child laborers worldwide fell by 11 percent from 246 million to 218 million.

国际劳工组织发表的一份新的报告说，儿童劳工，特别是形式最恶劣的童工，在世界范围内第一次出现了下降的趋势。根据国际劳工组织的这份报告，在2000年到2004年间，世界童工人数下降了11%， 从两亿四千六百万人降低到两亿一千八百万人。

The International Labor Organization says the good news goes on. It notes the number of children and young people between the age of five and 17 trapped in hazardous work decreased by 26 percent. It fell to 126 million in 2004 from a previous estimate of 171 million.

国际劳工组织说，好消息出现了：从事危险工作的五岁到十七岁的儿童和青少年人数下降了26%，从以前估计的一亿七千一百万人下降到2004年的一亿两千六百万人。

ILO Executive Director, Kari Tapiola, says these latest figures make the ILO cautiously optimistic that the fight against child labor can be won.

国际劳工组织的执行长塔皮奥拉说，最近的数字使得国际劳工组织感到谨慎的乐观。他们认为消除童工的运动正在取得胜利。

"It is feasible that within a period of say 10 years, we could get rid of the whole issue of worst forms of child labor," he said. "Now that is a very tall order. If the international attention is maintained and if it continues to be translated into concrete global support for action, then we believe it is realistic to arrive at this task."

他说：“ 这是可行的，譬如说在十年内，我们彻底消除最恶劣形式的童工。目前，这一点还很难实现。但如果国际间能够继续关注这个问题，继续得到全世界的支持，我们相信我们可以实际达到这一目标。”

The ILO describes the worst forms of child labor as activities that are illegal. These include child prostitution, the use of children for drug trafficking or pornographic purposes and debt bondage. Four years ago, the ILO estimated at least eight million children work in these areas.

国际劳工组织认为最恶劣形式的童工是非法活动，包括儿童娼妓，利用儿童运输毒品、制作色情刊物或抵偿债务。四年前，国际劳工组织估计，至少有八百万名儿童在这些领域工作。

The ILO also considers hazardous work, that is work that endangers a child's life and health, to be among the worst forms of child labor. This includes deep-sea diving, certain forms of domestic work and quarry mining.

国际劳工组织也提到了危险的工作，他们认为可能给儿童带来生命或健康危险的工作也是最恶劣形式的儿童劳工，包括深海潜水，某些形式的家庭帮佣和采矿。

The report finds the most rapid decline in child labor has occurred in Latin America and the Caribbean. Asia and the Pacific also registered a significant drop in the number of working children. But, the ILO says this region still has the largest number of child workers in the five to 14 age group, about 122 million.

这份报告发现童工人数下降最快的地方是拉美和加勒比海。亚洲和太平洋地区的童工人数也有大幅度下降。可是世界劳工组织说，这一地区内，5岁到14岁的童工人数仍然很多，高达一亿两千两百万人。

Tapiola says the sub-Saharan Africa region has the highest proportion of children engaged in economic activities of any region in the world. He says 26 percent of the child population, or almost 50 million African children work.

塔皮奥拉说，非洲撒哈拉以南地区从事经济活动的儿童按比例计算多于全球任何其他地区，占当地全体儿童人数的26%，也就是将近5千万名非洲儿童被迫做工。

"The least progress has been made in sub-Saharan Africa, unfortunately, where there are problems of infrastructure, of conflict, of population growth rates, HIV/AIDS infection and so on," he added.

他说：“ 不幸的是，非洲撒哈拉以南地区的进步最小。这一地区在公用设施、武装冲突、人口增长、爱滋病传染等方面都存在着问题。”

But Tapiola says there are some hopeful signs that the situation of child labor can get better in Africa. He notes that primary school enrollments in the region increased by 38 percent between 1990 and 2000.

可是塔皮奥拉说，当地也出现了一些希望，使得非洲的童工问题可能渐渐好转。他说，从1990年到2000年间，这一地区的小学入学率增加了38%。

The report attributes the reduction in child labor to increased political will and public awareness of the problem. Tapiola says a worldwide movement against child labor has been gathering steam. He says more consumers are boycotting goods that are produced by children and this is having an effect.

这份报告认为，童工减少是因为人们提高了解决这个问题的政治意志，加强了对这一问题的关注。塔皮奥拉说，全球性的消除童工运动越来越声势浩大。特别是越来越多的消费者抵制童工产品，这对消除童工也起到了作用。