VOA慢速英语2014 联合国儿童基金会称:针对儿童的暴力非常普遍

 

AS IT IS 2014-09-15 UNICEF: Violence Against Children Is Widespread 联合国儿童基金会称:针对儿童的暴力非常普遍

The United Nations Children’s agency, UNICEF, says violence against children is widespread around the world. The UN agency says about 95,000 young people were murdered in 2012, and 120 million girls have experienced sexual violence. It also says the great majority of victims live in poor and middle-income countries.

Violence against children exists, although we may not always see it. That is the message of a new UNICEF report called “Hidden in Plain Sight.” It examines violence against children in 190 countries.

UNICEF official Geeta Rao Gupta says children are at risk everywhere. She says the danger exists in every economic and social situation, culture, religion and ethnicity.

“It takes many forms:  physical, sexual, emotional. It occurs in places where children should be safe: their homes, schools and communities.  Increasingly it happens over the Internet. And it is perpetrated by family members and teachers, neighbors and strangers and other children.”                         

Violence often starts in the home. Researchers found that parents and caregivers deal out physical punishment to almost one billion children worldwide on a regular basis. They said children also suffer violence at school, with one in three young people saying they suffered bullying¹ – being pushed around or suffering abuse, physically² or emotionally. The UN researchers also said 120 million girls under age 20 have been forced to have sex or perform sexual acts.

Such abuse becomes normal and influences thinking. For example, the study found that half of all teenage girls believe it is sometimes all right for a husband to hit his wife.

Homicide – murder – is a leading cause of the death of boys in the adolescent, or teenage, years. Almost one in five of all homicide victims are under age 19.   

UNICEF official Claudia Cappa is an expert in statistics. She says that even if one child suffers harm through violence, it is one child too many.

“Violence against children does not only inflict³ pain and humiliation⁴, it kills children. In 2012 alone, approximately 95,000 children and adolescents under age 20 were killed by homicides.

The report’s writers said efforts need to be made to change beliefs about hitting children. They said better methods of discouraging bad behavior ought to be taught to reduce the threat of violence in the home. They said services also should be provided for children who have suffered psychological or physical abuse. And they urged that laws and policies meant to protect children be enacted⁵ and enforced. 

1 bullying   

v.恐吓，威逼( bully的现在分词 )；豪；跋扈

参考例句：

• Many cases of bullying go unreported . 很多恐吓案件都没有人告发。
• All cases of bullying will be severely dealt with. 所有以大欺小的情况都将受到严肃处理。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 physically   

adj.物质上，体格上，身体上，按自然规律

参考例句：

• He was out of sorts physically,as well as disordered mentally.他浑身不舒服，心绪也很乱。
• Every time I think about it I feel physically sick.一想起那件事我就感到极恶心。

3 inflict   

vt.(on)把…强加给，使遭受，使承担

参考例句：

• Don't inflict your ideas on me.不要把你的想法强加于我。
• Don't inflict damage on any person.不要伤害任何人。

4 humiliation   

n.羞辱

参考例句：

• He suffered the humiliation of being forced to ask for his cards.他蒙受了被迫要求辞职的羞辱。
• He will wish to revenge his humiliation in last Season's Final.他会为在上个季度的决赛中所受的耻辱而报复的。

5 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