VOA慢速英语2009年-IN THE NEWS - Targeting Violence Aimed at

This is IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English.

On September twenty-eighth, security forces attacked unarmed pro-democracy demonstrators in Conakry, the capital of Guinea. Protesters were shot, beaten and stabbed. Human rights groups and witnesses say at least one hundred fifty-seven people were killed, a number disputed by the military government. But in addition to the killings¹, human rights groups say a similar number of female protesters were raped³.

Sexual violence against women and girls has been widespread in Africa. But rape² has been used as a weapon of war in the Balkans, Burma and Sri Lanka. The World Health Organization says one in three women around the world will experience some form of violence in their lifetime.
　
Ntamitonde, a victim in the Democratic Republic of Congo

NTAMITONDE (TRANSLATED): "I feel pain in my heart. I cannot go back because of what they did to me. Three people raped me in front of my son."

Rebels in the Democratic Republic of Congo attacked this woman, took her clothes and burned her house. In August, American Secretary of State Hillary Clinton promised more than seventeen million dollars to fight sexual violence in the D.R.C.

But human rights groups say the United States must do more to help protect women and girls in developing countries. They want Congress to pass a measure called the International Violence Against Women Act. It would finance a five-year program to pay for health care and other services for victims. It would also provide training for local police in preventing violence against women.

The legislation was first proposed in two thousand seven by Joe Biden, then a senator, now the vice⁴ president. A group of lawmakers say they plan to propose it again soon.

This week, actress and United Nations goodwill⁵ ambassador Nicole Kidman spoke⁶ at a hearing in Congress.
　
Nicole Kidman at a House hearing on Wednesday

NICOLE KIDMAN: "Violence against women is not prosecuted⁷ because it is not a top government and urgent social priority. We can change this."

On September thirtieth, the United Nations Security Council approved a third resolution against sexual violence in armed conflicts. Secretary Clinton chaired the meeting, held on the last day of the United States' month-long presidency⁸ of the council. She said the new resolution aims to give the United Nations and its members new tools to prevent violence and punish those responsible.

Among other things, it calls on the secretary-general to appoint a special representative to lead efforts to end sexual violence. The council also promised to consider information about such violence when establishing or renewing targeted sanctions in armed conflicts.

Also last month, the United Nations agreed to combine four agencies and offices into a single, stronger agency to work on women's issues. They will be combined under the U.N. Development Fund for Women, or UNIFEM. Widney Brown, senior director for policy at the human rights group Amnesty International, praised the move.

WIDNEY BROWN: "We have a central place in the U.N. where we can hopefully have the sort of political power and financial clout⁹ to actually have a real impact on women's lives in all the countries where the U.N. works."

And that's IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English, available on the Web with transcripts¹⁰ and podcasts at voaspecialenglish.com. I'm Steve Ember.

 

1 killings   

谋杀( killing的名词复数 )； 突然发大财，暴发

参考例句：

• His statement was seen as an allusion to the recent drug-related killings. 他的声明被视为暗指最近与毒品有关的多起凶杀案。
• The government issued a statement condemning the killings. 政府发表声明谴责这些凶杀事件。

2 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。

3 raped   

v.以暴力夺取，强夺( rape的过去式和过去分词 )；强奸

参考例句：

• A young woman was brutally raped in her own home. 一名年轻女子在自己家中惨遭强暴。 来自辞典例句
• We got stick together, or we will be having our women raped. 我们得团结一致，不然我们的妻女就会遭到蹂躏。 来自辞典例句

4 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

5 goodwill   

n.善意，亲善，信誉，声誉

参考例句：

• His heart is full of goodwill to all men.他心里对所有人都充满着爱心。
• We paid ￡10,000 for the shop,and ￡2000 for its goodwill.我们用一万英镑买下了这家商店，两千英镑买下了它的信誉。

6 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。

7 prosecuted   

a.被起诉的

参考例句：

• The editors are being prosecuted for obscenity. 编辑因刊载污秽文字而被起诉。
• The company was prosecuted for breaching the Health and Safety Act. 这家公司被控违反《卫生安全条例》。

8 presidency   

n.总统(校长，总经理)的职位(任期)

参考例句：

• Roosevelt was elected four times to the presidency of the United States.罗斯福连续当选四届美国总统。
• Two candidates are emerging as contestants for the presidency.两位候选人最终成为总统职位竞争者。

9 clout   

n.用手猛击；权力，影响力

参考例句：

• The queen may have privilege but she has no real political clout.女王有特权，但无真正的政治影响力。
• He gave the little boy a clout on the head.他在那小男孩的头部打了一下。

10 transcripts   

n.抄本（ transcript的名词复数 ）；转写本；文字本；副本

参考例句：

• Like mRNA, both tRNA and rRNA are transcripts of chromosomal DNA. tRNA及rRNA同mRNA一样，都是染色体DNA的转录产物。 来自辞典例句
• You can't take the transfer students'exam without your transcripts. 没有成绩证明书，你就不能参加转学考试。 来自辞典例句