VOA标准英语2008年-Violence Against Women Widespread in Northern I

By Suzanne Presto¹
Irbil, Iraq
28 May 2008

An Amnesty International report on worldwide human rights says violence against women is widespread in northern Iraq.  VOA's Suzanne Presto reports from the northern city of Irbil.

In its report, Amnesty International says women and girls throughout the world suffer disproportionately from violence - in times of both peace and conflict - at the hands of their governments, their communities and their families.

The report highlights the issue of violence against women as a major problem in northern Iraq.  That is an assessment² that the Kurdistan regional government's human-rights minister, Yousif Aziz, has already reached. 

"We have come to the conclusion that violations⁴ against women are increasing and it is a dangerous thing," Aziz said. "A special committee has been formed, supervised by myself, the Minister of Human Rights, and all the members of others ministries⁵ are members of this committee, to solve this problem and to study it."

Amnesty cites government figures that show 27 women were killed in Kurdistan during the four-month period from July to October 2007. 

Minister Aziz provided official statistics to VOA showing that the number of women killed in the first four months of 2008 was even higher.  According to those figures, 31 women were killed in the cities of Irbil, Sulaymaniyah and Dohuk between January and May of this year.

According to official figures, the number of women killed doubled between 2005 and 2006,  from 59 to 118.

The Human Rights Ministry⁶ says there are several underlying⁷ causes of violence against women in Kurdistan.  These include poverty, lack of education, and also traditional customs that oppress women or grant men the authority to punish women if they do not abide⁸ by their families' wishes.  

But Aziz says the ministry is taking steps to address these root causes.  One law, which permitted so-called "honor killings," or the premeditated murder of women who had been seen as dishonorable to their families, has been changed.  

"Before there was the name of 'honor killing⁹' in Kurdistan," Aziz said. "Now, we removed it.  It is a normal killing.  We are cooperating with parliament and with some female NGOs on how to make some laws which are related to women to improve equality between men and women."

And Aziz says the government is working to educate people by sensitizing religious figures to human rights issues.

"Every Friday, the mullah and the hatib in the mosque¹⁰, they talk to the people," Aziz said. "They say that violation³ against women in not according to Islam.  There is nothing in Islam that says they need to make violations against women.  And this has really a very good effect on the people."

Women's rights activists¹¹ in the region say the violence must be addressed, and progress must also be made in female empowerment and equality in social, professional, political and legal standing¹² in Kurdistan.

1 presto   

adv.急速地；n.急板乐段；adj.急板的

参考例句：

• With something so important,you can't just wave a wand and presto!在这么重大的问题上，你想挥动一下指挥棒，转眼就变过来,办不到！
• I just turned the piece of wire in the lock and hey presto,the door opened.我把金属丝伸到锁孔里一拧，嘿，那门就开了。

2 assessment   

n.评价；评估；对财产的估价，被估定的金额

参考例句：

• This is a very perceptive assessment of the situation.这是一个对该情况的极富洞察力的评价。
• What is your assessment of the situation?你对时局的看法如何？

3 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。

4 violations   

违反( violation的名词复数 )； 冒犯； 违反（行为、事例）； 强奸

参考例句：

• This is one of the commonest traffic violations. 这是常见的违反交通规则之例。
• These violations of the code must cease forthwith. 这些违犯法规的行为必须立即停止。

5 ministries   

（政府的）部( ministry的名词复数 )； 神职； 牧师职位； 神职任期

参考例句：

• Local authorities must refer everything to the central ministries. 地方管理机构应请示中央主管部门。
• The number of Ministries has been pared down by a third. 部委的数量已经减少了1/3。

6 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

7 underlying   

adj.在下面的，含蓄的，潜在的

参考例句：

• The underlying theme of the novel is very serious.小说隐含的主题是十分严肃的。
• This word has its underlying meaning.这个单词有它潜在的含义。

8 abide   

vi.遵守；坚持；vt.忍受

参考例句：

• You must abide by the results of your mistakes.你必须承担你的错误所造成的后果。
• If you join the club,you have to abide by its rules.如果你参加俱乐部，你就得遵守它的规章。

9 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

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 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》

12 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。