2007年VOA标准英语-Ivorian Rape Victims Suffer Anonymity in Confli

By Kari Barber
Dakar
15 March 2007

The division of Ivory Coast since a civil war started in late 2002 has led to the perpetuation¹ of sexual attacks on both sides of the conflict. Human rights groups say the extent of the country's rape² problem has been hugely underestimated. For VOA, Kari Barber reports from our West and Central Africa bureau in Dakar.

An untold³ number of women have been raped⁴ and sexually assaulted in lawlessness tied to the nation's struggle between the army and rebel forces.

Some human rights groups are concerned the peace deal earlier this month between President Laurent Gbagbo and rebel-leader Guillaume Soro may include wide-sweeping impunity⁵, which could allow rapists to go unpunished.

Ivorian human rights activist⁶ Toure Abdoulaye says he does not support amnesty in this situation.

Abdoulaye says amnesty is a good thing for nations recovering from violent conflict and war, but international laws must also be respected.

Salvatore Sagues, an Ivory Coast researcher for human rights group Amnesty International, says most of the rapes⁷ occurred in the west of the country when armed groups abducted⁸ women and forced them to become sex slaves for the fighters. Women were often gang raped.

"What appears now is that there are hundreds of survivors⁹ of these acts who are having great difficulty just living," Sagues said. "They do not have the means to get HIV tests, or when they have HIV, they can not get treatment because they do not have healthcare."

Sagues says the use of rape as a weapon was commonplace for combatants on both sides of the war, making it more difficult to convince the government to bring perpetrators to trial.

"Given the fact there was such a widespread use of rape and sexual assault with total impunity means both parties used rape as a weapon of war to instill terror and to humiliate¹⁰ the victims, their families and the community to which they belong," he said.

Sagues says that if the Ivory Coast does not deliver justice, the international criminal court should intervene.

"We are asking the judicial¹¹ system to investigate these cases, to charge and to try the people who are responsible for these crimes," he said. "We remind them, according to the statutes¹² of the international criminal court, these crimes are war crimes and if the Ivorian justice are not able to deal with these crimes, it should be the jurisdiction¹³ of the international criminal court."

Amnesty International reports that some of the worst cases of sexual abuse were committed by mercenaries from other African countries who are fighting alongside opposition¹⁴ groups.

1 perpetuation   

n.永存，不朽

参考例句：

• Are there some on going policies that encourage its perpetuation? 现在是否有一些持续的政策令这会根深蒂固？ 来自互联网
• Does the mental perpetuation exist? 存在心理的永恒吗？ 来自互联网

2 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。

3 untold   

adj.数不清的，无数的

参考例句：

• She has done untold damage to our chances.她给我们的机遇造成了不可估量的损害。
• They suffered untold terrors in the dark and huddled together for comfort.他们遭受着黑暗中的难以言传的种种恐怖，因而只好挤在一堆互相壮胆。

4 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

5 impunity   

n.(惩罚、损失、伤害等的)免除

参考例句：

• You will not escape with impunity.你不可能逃脱惩罚。
• The impunity what compulsory insurance sets does not include escapement.交强险规定的免责范围不包括逃逸。

6 activist   

n.活动分子，积极分子

参考例句：

• He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
• He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。

7 rapes   

n.芸苔( rape的名词复数 )；强奸罪；强奸案；肆意损坏v.以暴力夺取，强夺( rape的第三人称单数 )；强奸

参考例句：

• The man who had committed several rapes was arrested. 那个犯了多起强奸案的男人被抓起来了。 来自辞典例句
• The incidence of reported rapes rose 0.8 percent. 美国联邦调查局还发布了两份特别报告。 来自互联网

8 abducted   

劫持，诱拐( abduct的过去式和过去分词 )； 使（肢体等）外展

参考例句：

• Detectives have not ruled out the possibility that she was abducted. 侦探尚未排除她被绑架的可能性。
• The kid was abducted at the gate of kindergarten. 那小孩在幼儿园大门口被绑架走了。

9 survivors   

幸存者，残存者，生还者( survivor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The survivors were adrift in a lifeboat for six days. 幸存者在救生艇上漂流了六天。
• survivors clinging to a raft 紧紧抓住救生筏的幸存者

10 humiliate   

v.使羞辱，使丢脸[同]disgrace

参考例句：

• What right had they to bully and humiliate people like this?凭什么把人欺侮到这个地步呢？
• They pay me empty compliments which only humiliate me.他们虚情假意地恭维我，这只能使我感到羞辱。

11 judicial   

adj.司法的，法庭的，审判的，明断的，公正的

参考例句：

• He is a man with a judicial mind.他是个公正的人。
• Tom takes judicial proceedings against his father.汤姆对他的父亲正式提出诉讼。

12 statutes   

成文法( statute的名词复数 )； 法令； 法规； 章程

参考例句：

• 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
• Each agency is also restricted by the particular statutes governing its activities. 各个机构的行为也受具体法令限制。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

13 jurisdiction   

n.司法权，审判权，管辖权，控制权

参考例句：

• It doesn't lie within my jurisdiction to set you free.我无权将你释放。
• Changzhou is under the jurisdiction of Jiangsu Province.常州隶属江苏省。

14 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。