VOA标准英语2008年-US Says More Than 500 Juveniles Detained In Ira

By Lisa Schlein
Geneva
23 May 2008

A senior U.S. official tells VOA that Washington will seriously consider recommendations from a U.N. Watchdog Group regarding the detention¹ of more than 500 juveniles² by the U.S. military in Iraq. The official says the examination by the U.N. Committee on the Rights of the Child concerning U.S. compliance³ with treaties governing child trafficking and child soldiers was thorough and positive. Lisa Schlein reports for VOA from Geneva.

Ambassador to Combat Human Trafficking and head of the U.S. Delegation⁴, Mark Lagon, says the 18 Committee experts asked some tough questions. But, he tells VOA the discussions were very fruitful in dispelling⁵ misunderstandings.

The committee examined U.S. compliance with two legal agreements that deal with children in armed conflict and child-trafficking. The United States and Somalia are the only two nations not to have ratified⁶ the umbrella Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Lagon says his delegation explained to the committee members why it has been necessary to detain 2,400 juveniles over time.

"It has been necessary because of recruitment by armed groups in Iraq of people into their efforts," he said. "And, when we have people detained, In Iraq we have developed special programs for their education and their health including educational programs in their own language. And, in Afghanistan, where there is a smaller population of detainees, there has been a slightly less well-developed program, but one which tries to attend to their needs."

Lagon acknowledges the U.S. currently is detaining about 500 juveniles in Iraq, suspected of being "unlawful enemy combatants."

"The policy in Iraq is not to hold someone beyond 12 months," he said. "They get one review of their situation at the six-month point and the reflexive policy is for them not to be detained for longer than a year. The Red Cross has access to all detainees, including the juveniles."

During the course of the examination, the United States noted⁷ that no more than eight juveniles between ages 13 and 17 at the time of their capture were being held at Guantanamo. At the request of the committee, the delegation said it would see whether more juveniles were being detained there.

An attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union, Jennifer Turner, describes the U.S. testimony⁸ as evasive. However, she says the delegation did reveal that most of the children in detention in Iraq and Afghanistan do not have access to lawyers.

"They are only provided access to attorneys if they have been charged with a crime," said Turner. "And a very small number of those children have been charged with crimes, according to the U.S.'s own admission."

"The U.S. said that these children are civilian⁹ internees in education camps and generally are being held for a period up to, in some cases, over one year without any criminal charges being brought against them and without ever being brought before a judge or with the benefit of an attorney representing them," she added. 

The U.N. Committee will issue its final observations and recommendations in two weeks. The U.S. delegation says it welcomes the suggestions even though some of them may be uncomfortable. But, it adds, that it has a strong sense of what its legal commitments are.

1 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。

2 juveniles   

n.青少年( juvenile的名词复数 )；扮演少年角色的演员；未成年人

参考例句：

• Do you think that punishment for violent crimes should be the same for juveniles and adults? 你对暴力犯罪的惩罚对于青少年和成人应一样吗？ 来自生活英语口语25天快训
• Juveniles Should we not exactly in need of such strength and conviction? 少年的我们难道不正是需要这种力量和信念吗？ 来自互联网

3 compliance   

n.顺从；服从；附和；屈从

参考例句：

• I was surprised by his compliance with these terms.我对他竟然依从了这些条件而感到吃惊。
• She gave up the idea in compliance with his desire.她顺从他的愿望而放弃自己的主意。

4 delegation   

n.代表团；派遣

参考例句：

• The statement of our delegation was singularly appropriate to the occasion.我们代表团的声明非常适合时宜。
• We shall inform you of the date of the delegation's arrival.我们将把代表团到达的日期通知你。

5 dispelling   

v.驱散，赶跑( dispel的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• He succeeded in dispelling our suspicious and won our confidence. 他终于消除了我们的怀疑，得到了我们的信任。 来自辞典例句
• Truth is a torch, which can pierce the mist without dispelling it. 真理是一个火炬，不用驱散大雾，其火炬即能透过。 来自互联网

6 ratified   

v.批准，签认（合约等）( ratify的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The treaty was declared invalid because it had not been ratified. 条约没有得到批准，因此被宣布无效。
• The treaty was ratified by all the member states. 这个条约得到了所有成员国的批准。

7 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

8 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。

9 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。