DEVELOPMENT REPORT - U.S. Report Criticizes 14 Countries on

DEVELOPMENT REPORT - U.S. Report Criticizes 14 Countries on Human Trafficking
By Jill Moss¹

Broadcast: Monday, June 13, 2005

I'm Gwen Outen with the VOA Special English Development Report.

For the fifth year, the State Department in Washington has released its Trafficking in Persons Report. The report rates the efforts of countries to fight modern-day slavery.

Fourteen countries get the lowest ratings this year. Among them are Bolivia, Burma, Cambodia, Cuba, Ecuador, Jamaica and Kuwait. The others are North Korea, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Togo, the United Arab Emirates and Venezuela.

Congress requires the yearly report under a law called the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of Two Thousand. The reports are based on information from American diplomats² as well as non-governmental organizations and other groups. One hundred fifty nations are examined in the report this year.

Countries are divided into three groups, or tiers. Tier One means that a country fully³ meets the requirements of the law. Tier Two countries do not meet the standards fully, but are working to improve. Guyana and Bangladesh are two nations this year that moved up to Tier Two.

Tier Three countries face possible restrictions⁴ in American aid or other measures. That could happen to the fourteen countries if they do not make changes by the end of September.

John Miller⁵ heads the anti-trafficking office at the State Department. Ambassador Miller says only a small number of countries have faced action. He says the goal of the report is not to punish, but to get nations to improve. The report says the United States provided ninety-six million dollars in foreign aid last year to deal with the problem.

In fact, Mister Miller said one country, Ecuador, has already taken steps since the report was put together. Lawmakers approved changes in Ecuador's criminal laws.

The United States is not rated in the study. But Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice says the United States is dealing⁶ with its own trafficking problem. Mister Miller estimates that each year almost fifteen thousand people are brought to the United States.

The report estimates that as many as eight hundred thousand people are trafficked across international borders each year. Millions of others are moved within countries. Trafficking victims are often forced into labor⁷ or the sex trade. Experts say about half of all victims are children. Many are sold by their own families.

This VOA Special English Development Report was written by Jill Moss.  I'm Gwen Outen.

1 moss   

n.苔，藓，地衣

参考例句：

• Moss grows on a rock.苔藓生在石头上。
• He was found asleep on a pillow of leaves and moss.有人看见他枕着树叶和苔藓睡着了。

2 diplomats   

n.外交官( diplomat的名词复数 )；有手腕的人，善于交际的人

参考例句：

• These events led to the expulsion of senior diplomats from the country. 这些事件导致一些高级外交官被驱逐出境。
• The court has no jurisdiction over foreign diplomats living in this country. 法院对驻本国的外交官无裁判权。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

4 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

5 miller   

n.磨坊主

参考例句：

• Every miller draws water to his own mill.磨坊主都往自己磨里注水。
• The skilful miller killed millions of lions with his ski.技术娴熟的磨坊主用雪橇杀死了上百万头狮子。

6 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

7 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。