2006年VOA标准英语-Women's Commission Aims to Combat Violence

By Barbara Schoetzau
New York
14 March 2006
 
The non-profit Women's Commission for Refugee Women and Children has introduced a series of recommendations to significantly reduce incidents of violence against women and girls in areas of conflict. 

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Firewood is basic to survival as a source of heating and cooking fuel in camps for refugees and internally displaced persons. Yet the Women's Commission says millions of women and girls risk rape¹, assault, abduction and even murder every day while collecting firewood. 

Carolyn Makinson, director of the women's group, says the risks associated with firewood collection have been known for years.

"Perhaps the worst thing about this is that these women and girls venture out knowing that this is going to happen to them," she noted².  "They have to venture out three or more times a week and they know that there is a good chance they will be attacked. And we know this, because when we have asked in communities why it is women who go out rather than men we have been told that if men go out they will be killed. If women and girls go out, they will only be raped³."

The Women's Commission initiated⁴ a project to find ways to reduce the vulnerability of women and girls in camps, focusing on sites in Darfur, Sudan, and Bhutanese camps in eastern Nepal.

In its report, the commission recommends a number of simple strategies to reduce the frequency and the amount of firewood collection. These include using fuel-efficient stoves that can reduce the consumption of firewood by as much as 80 percent and training in fuel-efficient cooking techniques, such as pre-soaking beans.

Anjana Shakya works with refugees in Nepal where more than 160,000 Bhutanese refugees live in seven camps. The United Nations delivers weekly kerosene⁵ rations⁶, but she says the cost of kerosene has doubled in last two years and it is often unavailable due to blockades by an insurgency⁷. She particularly supports the recommendations for developing alternate fuels and income-generating activities.

"Refugee women have been resistant⁸ to alternate fuels, because kerosene is easy to use and they depend on its sale as a key source of income to subsidize other needs such as clothing and higher education," she explained.  "They then collect or purchase firewood to use as cooking fuel."

Several private and U.N. groups are dealing⁹ with the issue. But the Women's Commission says the United Nations should designate a single agency to coordinate¹⁰ fuel-related initiatives. And the group calls for greater physical protection for women when they collect firewood.
 
Thoraya Obaid, the head of the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), says firewood and fuel must be considered and coordinated¹¹ in future humanitarian¹² response and protection efforts.

"Right now in Darfur, for example, UNFPA and the gender-based violence committees are working with the African Union civil police to set up escorts to insure security of women and girls during firewood collection, to establish monitoring in the IDP camps and increase deployment¹³ of female civilian¹⁴ police staffs," she said.  "At the same time, the Food and Agricultural Organization, FAO, and OXFAM have established training programs on the use of fuel efficient stoves."

For too long, Obaid says, issues involving fuel and cooking have been viewed as women's issues, instead of issues of human rights and security.

1 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。

2 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

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 initiated   

n. 创始人 adj. 新加入的 vt. 开始，创始，启蒙，介绍加入

参考例句：

• He has not yet been thoroughly initiated into the mysteries of computers. 他对计算机的奥秘尚未入门。
• The artist initiated the girl into the art world in France. 这个艺术家介绍这个女孩加入巴黎艺术界。

5 kerosene   

n.(kerosine)煤油，火油

参考例句：

• It is like putting out a fire with kerosene.这就像用煤油灭火。
• Instead of electricity,there were kerosene lanterns.没有电，有煤油灯。

6 rations   

定量( ration的名词复数 )； 配给量； 正常量； 合理的量

参考例句：

• They are provisioned with seven days' rations. 他们得到了7天的给养。
• The soldiers complained that they were getting short rations. 士兵们抱怨他们得到的配给不够数。

7 insurgency   

n.起义；暴动；叛变

参考例句：

• And as in China, unrest and even insurgency are widespread. 而在中国，动乱甚至暴乱都普遍存在。 来自互联网
• Dr Zyphur is part an insurgency against this idea. 塞弗博士是这一观点逆流的一部分。 来自互联网

8 resistant   

adj.(to)抵抗的，有抵抗力的

参考例句：

• Many pests are resistant to the insecticide.许多害虫对这种杀虫剂有抵抗力。
• They imposed their government by force on the resistant population.他们以武力把自己的统治强加在持反抗态度的人民头上。

9 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。

10 coordinate   

adj.同等的，协调的；n.同等者；vt.协作，协调

参考例句：

• You must coordinate what you said with what you did.你必须使你的言行一致。
• Maybe we can coordinate the relation of them.或许我们可以调和他们之间的关系。

11 coordinated   

adj.协调的

参考例句：

• The sound has to be coordinated with the picture. 声音必须和画面协调一致。
• The numerous existing statutes are complicated and poorly coordinated. 目前繁多的法令既十分复杂又缺乏快调。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

12 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。

13 deployment   

n. 部署,展开

参考例句：

• He has inquired out the deployment of the enemy troops. 他已查出敌军的兵力部署情况。
• Quality function deployment (QFD) is a widely used customer-driven quality, design and manufacturing management tool. 质量功能展开(quality function deployment,QFD)是一个广泛应用的顾客需求驱动的设计、制造和质量管理工具。

14 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。