2007年VOA标准英语-Violence, Threats Force More Iraqis to Leave Th

By Marissa Melton
Washington
31 January 2007
 
watch Sean Maroney's report

The International Organization for Migration¹ reports Tuesday that increasing violence in Iraq is forcing more and more people to leave their homes while funding to help them is growing short. VOA's Marissa Melton reports.

An Iraqi woman at a camp in Diwaniyah, 130 kilometers south of Baghdad

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has released a report saying more than 1.5 million people have been displaced inside Iraq, surviving without some of the most basic necessities such as food, water, and shelter.

Data collected by the organization indicated some 360,000 people have left their homes since February 22, 2006, when the bombing of a shrine² in the city of Samarra sparked a sustained increase in sectarian violence.

Dana Graber Ladeck, a monitoring and reintegration officer of IOM, said, surprisingly, it is not just fear of sectarian violence that drives Iraqis from their homes.

"The main response that people gave us was that they were experiencing direct threats to their lives," said Dana Graber Ladeck. "This was taking the form of threat letters, texts sent through mobile phones, graffiti written on buildings, and even pamphlets distributed throughout an area telling people they must leave immediately."

According to the report, most Iraqis end up taking shelter with friends or family. Many have rented places to live, but find the cost of rent over time to be more burdensome than expected. About 10 percent of displaced Iraqis are living in abandoned buildings, which may lack electricity, insulation³, and water.

The report says the high number of homeless persons has also affected⁴ security inside Iraq. Militant⁵ fighters sometimes buy the loyalty⁶ of displaced persons by providing them some of the things they need, such as food and shelter. And for a displaced child, Ladeck said, the pull to join the fighters can be particularly strong.

"More and more children are joining these armed groups, the militias⁷ and the insurgents," said Ladeck. "Sometimes they do it for money and sometimes for revenge, but we're finding more and more child soldiers, so to speak."

Ladeck said the organization has only received a tiny fraction of the $50 million it needs to carry on its activities this year.

The U.S. government funds some of the work of the International Organization for Migration, through USAID and the State Department.

Ellen Sauerbrey, Assistant Secretary for the State Department's Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration, earlier this month asked Congress to approve the Bush administration's 2007 request for such funding.

"Our ability to respond to the growing needs depends on receiving sufficient resources," said Ellen Sauerbrey. "The President's 2007 request for Migration and Refugee Assistance included $20 million for Iraqi humanitarian⁸ needs."

U.S. Congress has yet to approve that funding, as lawmakers struggle to arrive at a budget for the current fiscal⁹ year. The International Organization for Migration says last year Washington contributed $4 million.

1 migration   

n.迁移，移居，（鸟类等的）迁徙

参考例句：

• Swallows begin their migration south in autumn.燕子在秋季开始向南方迁移。
• He described the vernal migration of birds in detail.他详细地描述了鸟的春季移居。

2 shrine   

n.圣地，神龛，庙；v.将...置于神龛内，把...奉为神圣

参考例句：

• The shrine was an object of pilgrimage.这处圣地是人们朝圣的目的地。
• They bowed down before the shrine.他们在神龛前鞠躬示敬。

3 insulation   

n.隔离；绝缘；隔热

参考例句：

• Please examine the insulation of the electric wires in my house.请检查一下我屋子里电线的绝缘情况。
• It is always difficult to assure good insulation between the electric leads.要保证两个电触头之间有良好的绝缘总是很困难的。

4 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

5 militant   

adj.激进的，好斗的；n.激进分子，斗士

参考例句：

• Some militant leaders want to merge with white radicals.一些好斗的领导人要和白人中的激进派联合。
• He is a militant in the movement.他在那次运动中是个激进人物。

6 loyalty   

n.忠诚，忠心

参考例句：

• She told him the truth from a sense of loyalty.她告诉他真相是出于忠诚。
• His loyalty to his friends was never in doubt.他对朋友的一片忠心从来没受到怀疑。

7 militias   

n.民兵组织，民兵( militia的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The troops will not attempt to disarm the warring militias. 部队并不打算解除战斗中的民兵武装。 来自辞典例句
• The neighborhood was a battleground for Shiite and Sunni militias. 那里曾是什叶派和逊尼派武装分子的战场。 来自互联网

8 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。

9 fiscal   

adj.财政的，会计的，国库的，国库岁入的

参考例句：

• The increase of taxation is an important fiscal policy.增税是一项重要的财政政策。
• The government has two basic strategies of fiscal policy available.政府有两个可行的财政政策基本战略。