VOA慢速英语2015 大赦国际警告阿富汗妇女权利问题

AS IT IS 2015-04-08 Amnesty Raises Warnings on Afghan Women’s Rights 大赦国际警告阿富汗妇女权利问题

A human rights group is urging the Afghan government to protect defenders¹ of women’s rights in the country. Amnesty International says the government has done nothing to stop escalating² levels of violence, sexual attacks and even plots to kill women’s rights activists³.

Amnesty International released its report on Afghan women’s rights Tuesday in Kabul, the capital. The report says both the government and the international community are turning their backs on Afghan women activists, leaving them vulnerable. It says these activists have bravely fought for the gains Afghanistan has made toward improving human rights conditions.

Researchers say the Taliban are to blame for the majority of attacks against the defenders of women’s rights. They note that government officials and powerful local commanders are increasingly linked to violence against women.

The report says those threatened include rights activists, politicians, lawyers, journalists and teachers. It says even women in the police force have faced threats of violence.

Amnesty International's Afghanistan researcher, Horia Mosadiq, spoke⁴ with VOA. She says the group spoke with more than 50 defenders of women’s rights and their family members. Those questioned said that officials often ignored or refused to take threats against women seriously.

"From the 50 cases that we have investigated, only in one case there was prosecution⁵ and investigation⁶. This shows, first, the failure of the Afghan government for not protecting women human rights defenders and, second, the failure of the judiciary and other law enforcement officials for not being able to protect women or to investigate the cases or to bring the perpetrators to justice."

The report says that, since 2001, the international community has spent hundreds of millions of dollars on projects in support of Afghan women’s rights. But Amnesty International says more needs to be done. Many women defenders who reported violence or attacks are put in danger and face criticism or threats for speaking out.

Horia Mosadiq says Amnesty International officials have held many meetings with President Ashraf Ghani, Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah and other Afghan officials. She says those meetings were designed to bring to their attention the problems facing women’s rights activists. She says the officials have yet to take actual steps to end the threats.

Horia Mosadiq says she fears female activists are likely to face increased violence in the months to come. The reasons: plans to withdraw international forces from Afghanistan, increasing Taliban attacks and the rise of the Islamic State in the country.

"These are all unfortunately not good signals for the future of Afghanistan and more particularly for the protection of women human rights defenders. We are quite concerned that if concrete steps are not taken the situation may get worse in the coming months and years."

She says a legal method to protect women in Afghanistan is in place. But she says a failure to carry out and enforce these rules has turned them into empty promises.

Words in This Story

vulnerable – adj. easily hurt or harmed physically⁷, mentally or emotionally

escalate⁸ – v. to become worse or to make (something) worse or more severe

concrete – adj. relating to or involving certain individuals, things, or actions, not general ideas or qualities

1 defenders   

n.防御者( defender的名词复数 )；守卫者；保护者；辩护者

参考例句：

• The defenders were outnumbered and had to give in. 抵抗者寡不敌众，只能投降。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• After hard fighting,the defenders were still masters of the city. 守军经过奋战仍然控制着城市。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 escalating   

v.（使）逐步升级( escalate的现在分词 )；（使）逐步扩大；（使）更高；（使）更大

参考例句：

• The cost of living is escalating. 生活费用在迅速上涨。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The cost of living is escalating in the country. 这个国家的生活费用在上涨。 来自辞典例句

3 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 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。

5 prosecution   

n.起诉，告发，检举，执行，经营

参考例句：

• The Smiths brought a prosecution against the organizers.史密斯家对组织者们提出起诉。
• He attempts to rebut the assertion made by the prosecution witness.他试图反驳原告方证人所作的断言。

6 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

7 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。

8 escalate   

v.(使)逐步增长(或发展)，(使)逐步升级

参考例句：

• It would tempt Israel's neighbors to escalate their demands.它将诱使以色列的邻国不断把他们的要求升级。
• Defeat could cause one side or other to escalate the conflict.失败可能会导致其中一方将冲突升级。