2007年VOA标准英语-Human Trafficking Report Faults US Gulf Allies,

By David Gollust
State Department
12 June 2007

The State Department's annual report on human trafficking worldwide ranked several of the United States' Gulf¹ allies, including Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain and Qatar, in the lowest category and subject to possible sanctions. In sheer volume of cases, India was said to have the world's worst trafficking problem. VOA's David Gollust reports from the State Department.

The State Department's rankings, mandated² by an act of Congress in 2000, authorize³ only mild sanctions for the worst offenders⁴, and officials here say the main purpose of the exercise is to focus attention on the problem of human trafficking, including forced labor⁵ and the international sex trade.

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice announces the release of the 7th Annual Department of State "Trafficking in Persons Report", 12 Jun 2007

At a news conference introducing the report, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said partly because of the annual assessments⁶ more countries are beginning to see human trafficking for what it is, a modern-day form of slavery.

"When we first began tackling this issue several years ago, the idea of human trafficking was akin⁷ to a global family secret," said Rice. "It was known, but not often discussed publicly."

"I am proud that our office in just a few short years has brought global attention to this problem. Millions more people know about human trafficking today that when the first report was issued in 2001. And we hope that this greater awareness⁸ translates into greater prevention," she added.

Rice paid tribute to several governments including Georgia, Hungary, Slovenia, Israel, Taiwan, Indonesia, Brazil and Bolivia which she said have moved to tackle trafficking problems raised in previous U.S. reports.

But she also lamented⁹ what she said was disturbing evidence that trafficking prosecutions¹⁰ around the world have leveled off over the past year, and she said in some countries with major problems only a couple of offenders have been prosecuted¹¹.

The 2007 report, rating 164 countries in all, lists 16 countries in its lowest "Tier 3" category, making them subject to possible cutoffs of non-humanitarian U.S. aid, if applicable.

Among countries getting the lowest grade for the first time were U.S. Gulf allies Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman and Qatar along with Algeria, Equatorial Guinea and Malaysia. They joined long-standing offenders including Saudi Arabia, Iran, Syria, Sudan, Uzbekistan, Burma, North Korea, Cuba and Venezuela.

Mark Lagon listens to reporter's questions, 12 Jun 2007

Secretary Rice's new senior adviser¹² on trafficking in persons, Mark Lagon, said the listing of the many wealthy Gulf Arab states reflects a chronic¹³ problem in the region, which imports large numbers of foreign workers.

"What we found as a general pattern in this report is an endemic problem in the way foreign workers are treated in the Persian Gulf, in Middle Eastern States," said Lagon.

"Three is a recruitment pattern of unsuspecting people who are offered jobs as secretaries, maids. They end up being sex slaves or put into domestic servitude in an involuntary way. That is seen throughout the region," he continued.

Lagon said India has the world's largest problem with hundreds of thousands of sex trafficking victims, and millions of bonded¹⁴ laborers¹⁵ including children, and no national anti-trafficking effort.

India was ranked for a fourth consecutive¹⁶ year in the report's second worst category, the so-called Tier 2 Watch List. Lagon said India could be downgraded unless the New Delhi government, with which the United States has increasingly close ties, becomes more responsive.

"The relationship, the level of communication between our two governments is such that it can stand some serious frank talk about a problem like bonded labor or sex trafficking," said Lagon. "And we are going to lay out, working with them, a kind of action plan, for steps forward on this."

On the plus side, three countries placed in the lowest category last year - Zimbabwe, Belize and Laos - were promoted to Tier 2 for improved records on trafficking.

Though the Zimbabwe government of President Robert Mugabe is a frequent target of U.S. human rights criticism, the report said it has displayed a "more vigorous" commitment to addressing trafficking problems and protecting victims.

1 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。

2 mandated   

adj. 委托统治的

参考例句：

• Mandated desegregation of public schools. 命令解除公立学校中的种族隔离
• Britain was mandated to govern the former colony of German East Africa. 英国受权代管德国在东非的前殖民地。

3 authorize   

v.授权，委任；批准，认可

参考例句：

• He said that he needed to get his supervisor to authorize my refund.他说必须让主管人员批准我的退款。
• Only the President could authorize the use of the atomic bomb.只有总统才能授权使用原子弹。

4 offenders   

n.冒犯者( offender的名词复数 )；犯规者；罪犯；妨害…的人（或事物）

参考例句：

• Long prison sentences can be a very effective deterrent for offenders. 判处长期徒刑可对违法者起到强有力的威慑作用。
• Purposeful work is an important part of the regime for young offenders. 使从事有意义的劳动是管理少年犯的重要方法。

5 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。

6 assessments   

n.评估( assessment的名词复数 )；评价；（应偿付金额的）估定；（为征税对财产所作的）估价

参考例句：

• He was shrewd in his personal assessments. 他总能对人作出精明的评价。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Surveys show about two-thirds use such assessments, while half employ personality tests. 调查表明，约有三分之二的公司采用了这种测评；而一半的公司则采用工作人员个人品质测试。 来自百科语句

7 akin   

adj.同族的，类似的

参考例句：

• She painted flowers and birds pictures akin to those of earlier feminine painters.她画一些同早期女画家类似的花鸟画。
• Listening to his life story is akin to reading a good adventure novel.听他的人生故事犹如阅读一本精彩的冒险小说。

8 awareness   

n.意识，觉悟，懂事，明智

参考例句：

• There is a general awareness that smoking is harmful.人们普遍认识到吸烟有害健康。
• Environmental awareness has increased over the years.这些年来人们的环境意识增强了。

9 lamented   

adj.被哀悼的，令人遗憾的v.（为…）哀悼，痛哭，悲伤( lament的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• her late lamented husband 她那令人怀念的已故的丈夫
• We lamented over our bad luck. 我们为自己的不幸而悲伤。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 prosecutions   

起诉( prosecution的名词复数 )； 原告； 实施； 从事

参考例句：

• It is the duty of the Attorney-General to institute prosecutions. 检察总长负责提起公诉。
• Since World War II, the government has been active in its antitrust prosecutions. 第二次世界大战以来，政府积极地进行着反对托拉斯的检举活动。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件

11 prosecuted   

a.被起诉的

参考例句：

• The editors are being prosecuted for obscenity. 编辑因刊载污秽文字而被起诉。
• The company was prosecuted for breaching the Health and Safety Act. 这家公司被控违反《卫生安全条例》。

12 adviser   

n.劝告者，顾问

参考例句：

• They employed me as an adviser.他们聘请我当顾问。
• Our department has engaged a foreign teacher as phonetic adviser.我们系已经聘请了一位外籍老师作为语音顾问。

13 chronic   

adj.(疾病)长期未愈的，慢性的；极坏的

参考例句：

• Famine differs from chronic malnutrition.饥荒不同于慢性营养不良。
• Chronic poisoning may lead to death from inanition.慢性中毒也可能由虚弱导致死亡。

14 bonded   

n.有担保的，保税的，粘合的

参考例句：

• The whisky was taken to bonded warehouses at Port Dundee.威士忌酒已送到邓迪港的保稅仓库。
• This adhesive must be applied to both surfaces which are to be bonded together.要粘接的两个面都必须涂上这种黏合剂。

15 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

16 consecutive   

adj.连续的，联贯的，始终一贯的

参考例句：

• It has rained for four consecutive days.已连续下了四天雨。
• The policy of our Party is consecutive.我党的政策始终如一。