2006年VOA标准英语-Tanzania Vows to Eliminate Child Labor

By Lisa Schlein
Geneva
09 June 2006
 
  
  
The International Labor¹ Organization says progress in eliminating child labor is being made in countries that have the political will to get rid of it.  Delegates attending the ILO's annual conference have been assessing the situation in a special daylong discussion on child labor.

A recent report by the International Labor Organization finds child labor, especially in its worst forms, is declining.  ILO Executive Director Kari Tapiola says between 2000 and 2004, the number of child laborers² worldwide fell by 11 percent from 246 million to 218 million. 

"And, of course, these figures show that there is political commitment," Mr. Tapiola said.  "There are more coherent policies in the areas of poverty reduction, basic education, human rights and all these are central to combating child labor." 

In the early 1990's, the ILO began an international program for the elimination³ of child labor.  Tanzania was one of the first countries to join up.  IPEC, as the program is called, helps governments enact⁴ the laws and the projects needed to get children into school and out of the workforce⁵.

Tanzania's minister of labor, Jumanne Maghembe, says the government has been working with the country's strong network of trade unions, with employers associations, private organizations and local communities to change attitudes toward child labor. 

Four years ago, he says, Tanzania started 11 pilot projects targeting the worst forms of child labor.  These include children working in commercial agriculture, commercial sexual exploitation, mining and domestic work.

He says that since then the government has enacted⁶ a new labor law, which prohibits child labor and criminalizes the employment of children in some forms of labor.

"The law provides for minimum age for entry into employment at 14 years, where a child has to do light work," he said.  "And it prohibits engagement of children of less than 18 years in hazardous⁷ work.  Further, the law prescribes a minimum fine not exceeding the equivalent of five-thousand U.S. dollars or imprisonment⁸ for a term of one-year or both penalties to any person convicted for engaging a child in hazardous work." 

Maghembe says the government of Tanzania has set a target of reducing child labor to 10 percent from the current 24 percent by the year 2010.  Since the 11 pilot projects started, he says 15,000 children out of nearly 60,000 are no longer employed in hazardous jobs.

1 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。

2 laborers   

n.体力劳动者，工人( laborer的名词复数 )；（熟练工人的）辅助工

参考例句：

• Laborers were trained to handle 50-ton compactors and giant cranes. 工人们接受操作五十吨压土机和巨型起重机的训练。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• Wage-labour rests exclusively on competition between the laborers. 雇佣劳动完全是建立在工人的自相竞争之上的。 来自英汉非文学 - 共产党宣言

3 elimination   

n.排除，消除，消灭

参考例句：

• Their elimination from the competition was a great surprise.他们在比赛中遭到淘汰是个很大的意外。
• I was eliminated from the 400 metres in the semi-finals.我在400米半决赛中被淘汰。

4 enact   

vt.制定(法律)；上演，扮演

参考例句：

• The U.S. Congress has exclusive authority to enact federal legislation.美国国会是唯一有权颁布联邦法律的。
• For example,a country can enact laws and economic policies to attract foreign investment fairly quickly.例如一个国家可以很快颁布吸引外资的法令和经济政策。

5 workforce   

n.劳动大军，劳动力

参考例句：

• A large part of the workforce is employed in agriculture.劳动人口中一大部分受雇于农业。
• A quarter of the local workforce is unemployed.本地劳动力中有四分之一失业。

6 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

7 hazardous   

adj.(有)危险的，冒险的；碰运气的

参考例句：

• These conditions are very hazardous for shipping.这些情况对航海非常不利。
• Everybody said that it was a hazardous investment.大家都说那是一次危险的投资。

8 imprisonment   

n.关押，监禁，坐牢

参考例句：

• His sentence was commuted from death to life imprisonment.他的判决由死刑减为无期徒刑。
• He was sentenced to one year's imprisonment for committing bigamy.他因为犯重婚罪被判入狱一年。