VOA常速英语2008年-Report Finds British Treatment of Asylum Seeker

By Tendai Maphosa
London
27 March 2008

An independent panel has delivered a harsh rebuke¹ of the British government's treatment of asylum² seekers, saying it falls seriously below the standards expected of a humane³ and civilized⁴ society.  Tendai Maphosa reports for VOA from London.

The Independent Asylum Commission interim⁵ report says asylum seekers in Britain are subjected to inhumane treatment while in detention⁶, experience difficulties obtaining legal advice and are victims of gross inconsistencies in official decision-making.

Commission spokesman Jonathan Cox says some of the problems with the asylum system could be linked to a lack of funding and training of the authorities involved, including the Home Office.  But, he says poor treatment of asylum seekers is unacceptable.

"We have identified a lack of training - what we call a culture of disbelief among some of the Home Office case workers who are looking to catch asylum seekers out instead of looking at whether they should be protected or not, are deliberately⁷ trying to trick them into making mistakes and then challenging their credibility," he said.

The report's criticism includes the detention of pregnant women, children and survivors⁸ of torture in their own countries.  It says such people should not be locked up.  It also calls for an end to "dawn raids" by immigration officials on failed asylum seekers due to be deported⁹.

The commission took testimony¹⁰ from asylum seekers, former Home Secretaries, policy makers¹¹, charities, the police, local authorities and the general public.  Former Appeal Court Judge John Waite, a co-chairman of the commission, described the issue as a "blemish¹²" on Britain's reputation.

Commission spokesman Cox says while some of the hardship experienced by asylum seekers may be due to human error, some of it is a result of clear attempts to make life difficult for asylum seekers.

"Things like destitution¹³, these are deliberate policies to try and encourage refused asylum seekers to leave the country by simply depriving them of work, of housing, of entitlements to benefits in order to try to encourage them to leave the U.K., that is what we are criticizing as indefensible," he added.

But in a statement, Border and Immigration Agency Chief Executive Lin Homer dismissed the findings of the survey, saying they are not based on any thorough knowledge. She refuted the charge that asylum applicants¹⁴ were treated without care and compassion¹⁵.

Homer said Britain has a proud tradition of offering sanctuary¹⁶ to those who truly need protection, and those seeking asylum can have their case reviewed by an independent judge. She described the system as firm but humane.

The commission says the British asylum system is improving, but says the system still denies sanctuary to some who genuinely need it and ought to be entitled to it and is marred¹⁷ by inhumanity in its treatment of the vulnerable.

1 rebuke   

v.指责，非难，斥责 [反]praise

参考例句：

• He had to put up with a smart rebuke from the teacher.他不得不忍受老师的严厉指责。
• Even one minute's lateness would earn a stern rebuke.哪怕迟到一分钟也将受到严厉的斥责。

2 asylum   

n.避难所，庇护所，避难

参考例句：

• The people ask for political asylum.人们请求政治避难。
• Having sought asylum in the West for many years,they were eventually granted it.他们最终获得了在西方寻求多年的避难权。

3 humane   

adj.人道的，富有同情心的

参考例句：

• Is it humane to kill animals for food?宰杀牲畜来吃合乎人道吗？
• Their aim is for a more just and humane society.他们的目标是建立一个更加公正、博爱的社会。

4 civilized   

a.有教养的，文雅的

参考例句：

• Racism is abhorrent to a civilized society. 文明社会憎恶种族主义。
• rising crime in our so-called civilized societies 在我们所谓文明社会中日益增多的犯罪行为

5 interim   

adj.暂时的，临时的；n.间歇，过渡期间

参考例句：

• The government is taking interim measures to help those in immediate need.政府正在采取临时措施帮助那些有立即需要的人。
• It may turn out to be an interim technology.这可能只是个过渡技术。

6 detention   

n.滞留，停留；拘留，扣留；(教育)留下

参考例句：

• He was kept in detention by the police.他被警察扣留了。
• He was in detention in connection with the bribery affair.他因与贿赂事件有牵连而被拘留了。

7 deliberately   

adv.审慎地；蓄意地；故意地

参考例句：

• The girl gave the show away deliberately.女孩故意泄露秘密。
• They deliberately shifted off the argument.他们故意回避这个论点。

8 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

9 deported   

v.将…驱逐出境( deport的过去式和过去分词 )；举止

参考例句：

• They stripped me of my citizenship and deported me. 他们剥夺我的公民资格，将我驱逐出境。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The convicts were deported to a deserted island. 罪犯们被流放到一个荒岛。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 testimony   

n.证词；见证，证明

参考例句：

• The testimony given by him is dubious.他所作的证据是可疑的。
• He was called in to bear testimony to what the police officer said.他被传入为警官所说的话作证。

11 makers   

n.制造者，制造商（maker的复数形式）

参考例句：

• The makers of the product assured us that there had been no sacrifice of quality. 这一产品的制造商向我们保证说他们没有牺牲质量。
• The makers are about to launch out a new product. 制造商们马上要生产一种新产品。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 blemish   

v.损害；玷污；瑕疵，缺点

参考例句：

• The slightest blemish can reduce market value.只要有一点最小的损害都会降低市场价值。
• He wasn't about to blemish that pristine record.他本不想去玷污那清白的过去。

13 destitution   

n.穷困，缺乏，贫穷

参考例句：

• The people lived in destitution. 民生凋敝。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• His drinking led him to a life of destitution. 酗酒导致他生活贫穷。 来自辞典例句

14 applicants   

申请人，求职人( applicant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• There were over 500 applicants for the job. 有500多人申请这份工作。
• He was impressed by the high calibre of applicants for the job. 求职人员出色的能力给他留下了深刻印象。

15 compassion   

n.同情，怜悯

参考例句：

• He could not help having compassion for the poor creature.他情不自禁地怜悯起那个可怜的人来。
• Her heart was filled with compassion for the motherless children.她对于没有母亲的孩子们充满了怜悯心。

16 sanctuary   

n.圣所，圣堂，寺庙；禁猎区，保护区

参考例句：

• There was a sanctuary of political refugees behind the hospital.医院后面有一个政治难民的避难所。
• Most countries refuse to give sanctuary to people who hijack aeroplanes.大多数国家拒绝对劫机者提供庇护。

17 marred   

adj. 被损毁, 污损的

参考例句：

• The game was marred by the behaviour of drunken fans. 喝醉了的球迷行为不轨，把比赛给搅了。
• Bad diction marred the effectiveness of his speech. 措词不当影响了他演说的效果。