VOA常速英语2008年-Former Slave Tells of Rape in Case Against Nige

By Ricci Shryock
Dakar
15 April 2008

Human-rights activists¹ say a slavery trial in Niger last week brought local attention to the persistent² problem, but a verdict is not expected until October.  For VOA, Ricci Shryock reports from Dakar.

Lawyer Helen Duffy says Hadiatou Mani was sold to her master for the price of a goat. 

Duffy says evidence presented in court shows Mani was beaten, raped³ and psychologically abused for more than 10 years.

She said the slave owners' paperwork documents how ingrained the problem is.

"The very fact that this is governed by contracts and by certificates and that there are witnesses really shows that this is quite a pervasive⁴ and systematic⁵ problem," she said.

Judges in the Niger capital of Niamey finished hearing testimony⁶ last week as Mani's slavery case was brought before the Economic Community of West African Sates' court.  Mani is accusing the state of failing to implement⁷ 2003 laws against slavery.

She says this happened when she was sentenced to jail for bigamy, after she married a man of her own choice.  But a judge ruled in favor of her former slave master who said she was already married to him.  She has two children from him.

Duffy, who works for the advocacy group Interights, helped the victim organize her case.  She says the trial brought much-needed public attention to the issue of slavery in Niger.

"It has encouraged debate on the subject of slavery, which up until now has been completely hidden and not acknowledged by the state or discussed publicly," she added.

Under the 2003 law, it is illegal to keep slaves in Niger, but British-based Anti-Slavery International says there are still more than 40,000 slaves in the country.  Niger human-rights groups say the number is still in the hundreds of thousands.

The regional court, which is usually based in Nigeria, is scheduled to reconvene in Niger in October to announce its verdict.

In the meantime, Mani has returned to her village, but she says her former master retains custody⁸ of their two children.

1 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 persistent   

adj.坚持不懈的，执意的；持续的

参考例句：

• Albert had a persistent headache that lasted for three days.艾伯特连续头痛了三天。
• She felt embarrassed by his persistent attentions.他不时地向她大献殷勤，使她很难为情。

3 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

4 pervasive   

adj.普遍的；遍布的，(到处)弥漫的；渗透性的

参考例句：

• It is the most pervasive compound on earth.它是地球上最普遍的化合物。
• The adverse health effects of car exhaust are pervasive and difficult to measure.汽车尾气对人类健康所构成的有害影响是普遍的，并且难以估算。

5 systematic   

adj.有系统的，有计划的，有方法的

参考例句：

• The way he works isn't very systematic.他的工作不是很有条理。
• The teacher made a systematic work of teaching.这个教师进行系统的教学工作。

6 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。

7 implement   

n.(pl.)工具，器具；vt.实行，实施，执行

参考例句：

• Don't undertake a project unless you can implement it.不要承担一项计划，除非你能完成这项计划。
• The best implement for digging a garden is a spade.在花园里挖土的最好工具是铁锹。

8 custody   

n.监护，照看，羁押，拘留

参考例句：

• He spent a week in custody on remand awaiting sentence.等候判决期间他被还押候审一个星期。
• He was taken into custody immediately after the robbery.抢劫案发生后，他立即被押了起来。