2007年VOA标准英语-ICRC Says Civilian Suffering in Iraq Unbearable

By Lisa Schlein
Geneva
11 April 2007

The International Committee of the Red Cross says the suffering of civilians¹ in Iraq is worsening. In a new report called Civilians Without Protection: The Ever-Worsening Crisis in Iraq, the Red Cross focusses on the daily acts of violence that target Iraqi civilians, calling them a clear violation² of international humanitarian³ law. Lisa Schlein reports for VOA from Geneva.

The report by the International Committee of the Red Cross says that, four years after the U.S.-led invasion, the conflict in Iraq continues to cause immense suffering and that urgent action must be taken to protect civilians from violence.

ICRC's director of operations, Pierre Kraehenbuhl, says every day civilians are directly caught up in shootings, bombings, abductions, murders and military operations. He says thousands of people have been killed and hundreds of thousands have been forced to flee their homes in search of safety.

"I certainly find these numbers unbearable⁴," said Kraehenbuhl. "But, even more so, our feeling today is to find unbearable the anonymity⁵. The fact that behind the numbers so many destinies remain unknown. The despair of relatives is so difficult to hear."

The report gives a face and a voice to the many anonymous⁶ victims. Kraehenbuhl recounts the story of one Iraqi woman who told a Red Cross worker what she considers the top priority of the government.

"The most important thing that anyone could do was to help collect the bodies that lie in the street in front of our homes every morning," he said. "No one dares touching⁷ them. But, for us, it is unbearable to have to expose our children to such images every day as we try bringing them to school."

The Red Cross report says daily life is becoming more difficult. It says the quality and quantity of water is insufficient⁸ and the lack of electricity and fuel is causing enormous hardship. It says medical care is compromised because more than 50 percent of Iraqi doctors have fled the country.

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Smoke billows from the site of a car bomb attack engulfing Bab al-Moazam Mosque in Baghdad, 05 Mar 2007

Kraehenbuhl says the so-called surge in Baghdad, which was launched in February by Iraqi and U.S.forces, appears to him to have done little so far to improve security on the ground.

"We certainly are not seeing an immediate¹² effect in terms of stabilization¹³ for civilians currently," said Kraehenbuhl. "That is not our reading. So, I think we have to be honest there about the fact that we do not have on a day-to-day basis the full picture of absolutely every situation, certainly of every part of Baghdad."

"But clearly much more has to be done to improve the situation and security for civilians and that really has to be undertaken by all on the ground," he continued.

The Red Cross provides monthly emergency aid for more than 60,000 Iraqis. The Iraqi Red Crescent handles the bulk of the distributions.

Over the past year, the Red Cross reports it also has delivered medical supplies to hospitals across Iraq for 3,000 war-wounded patients. Red Cross aid workers also continue to visit thousands of detainees, monitoring their treatment.

1 civilians   

平民，百姓( civilian的名词复数 )； 老百姓

参考例句：

• the bloody massacre of innocent civilians 对无辜平民的血腥屠杀
• At least 300 civilians are unaccounted for after the bombing raids. 遭轰炸袭击之后，至少有300名平民下落不明。

2 violation   

n.违反(行为)，违背(行为)，侵犯

参考例句：

• He roared that was a violation of the rules.他大声说，那是违反规则的。
• He was fined 200 dollars for violation of traffic regulation.他因违反交通规则被罚款200美元。

3 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。

4 unbearable   

adj.不能容忍的；忍受不住的

参考例句：

• It is unbearable to be always on thorns.老是处于焦虑不安的情况中是受不了的。
• The more he thought of it the more unbearable it became.他越想越觉得无法忍受。

5 anonymity   

n.the condition of being anonymous

参考例句：

• Names of people in the book were changed to preserve anonymity. 为了姓名保密，书中的人用的都是化名。
• Our company promises to preserve the anonymity of all its clients. 我们公司承诺不公开客户的姓名。

6 anonymous   

adj.无名的；匿名的；无特色的

参考例句：

• Sending anonymous letters is a cowardly act.寄匿名信是懦夫的行为。
• The author wishes to remain anonymous.作者希望姓名不公开。

7 touching   

adj.动人的，使人感伤的

参考例句：

• It was a touching sight.这是一幅动人的景象。
• His letter was touching.他的信很感人。

8 insufficient   

adj.(for，of)不足的，不够的

参考例句：

• There was insufficient evidence to convict him.没有足够证据给他定罪。
• In their day scientific knowledge was insufficient to settle the matter.在他们的时代，科学知识还不能足以解决这些问题。

9 engulfing   

adj.吞噬的v.吞没，包住( engulf的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• A photographer had fused the lights,engulfing the entire house darkness. 一位摄影师把电灯的保险丝烧断了，使整栋房子陷于黑暗当中。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• A professional photographer had fused the lights,engulfing the entire house in darkness. 一位职业摄影师把保险丝烧断了使整所房子陷于黑暗当中。 来自辞典例句

10 mosque   

n.清真寺

参考例句：

• The mosque is a activity site and culture center of Muslim religion.清真寺为穆斯林宗教活动场所和文化中心。
• Some years ago the clock in the tower of the mosque got out of order.几年前，清真寺钟楼里的大钟失灵了。

11 mar   

vt.破坏，毁坏，弄糟

参考例句：

• It was not the custom for elderly people to mar the picnics with their presence.大人们照例不参加这样的野餐以免扫兴。
• Such a marriage might mar your career.这样的婚姻说不定会毁了你的一生。

12 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

13 Stabilization   

稳定化

参考例句：

• The position of barycentre on plane directly impacts the stabilization and manipulation of plane. 飞机重心位置直接影响飞机的稳定和操纵特性。
• With the higher olefins, stabilization of the energetic intermediates occurs more easily. 在较高的烯烃情况下，高能的中间物稳定作用更易出现。