VOA标准英语2010年-UNICEF, NGO's: Haitian Children at Ris

Case of 33 children allegedly abducted¹ by a group of Americans illustrates² the plight³ of children separated from parents

Mike O'Sullivan | Port-au-Prince 05 February 2010

A boy with a pink tape on his shirt that previously⁴ had his name written on it, and who was part of the group of children that U.S. Baptists were trying to take out of Haiti, plays with stones at an orphanage⁵ run by Austrian-based SOS Children's Villages in Port-au-Prince, Sunday, Jan. 31, 2010. Ten Americans were detained by Haitian police on Saturday as they tried to bus 33 children across the border into the Dominican Republic, allegedly without proper documents. (AP Photo/Andres Leighton)

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Aid workers in Haiti say hundreds of thousands of children are at risk in the aftermath of the January 12 earthquake. The case of 33 children allegedly abducted by a group of Americans illustrates the plight of children separated from parents, and those whose families are living in desperate conditions.

The circumstances remain murky⁶ surrounding the 33 children allegedly being smuggled⁷ out of the country by a group of American church members.  Aid officials say all were supposed orphans⁸, but at least 20 were known to have living family members, in some cases parents.

The Americans have been charged and the children have found refuge at a center run by the Austrian-based charity SOS Children's Villages International.  Charity official Georg Willeit says one infant was dangerously dehydrated, but all of the children are well now. "At least, they have here a safe haven⁹.  They are sure of their daily meals.  They have friends to play with because they are integrated into our family houses," he said.

While the children are here, they will join several hundred others, both orphans and displaced children, in day-to-day activities, including helping¹⁰ with chores and studying.

Those separated from relatives will later be reunited with their families.

The United Nations' children's organization UNICEF says one and a half million children were affected¹¹ by the earthquake. UNICEF Haiti spokesman Kent Page says the disaster has created a children's emergency. "Separated children, unaccompanied children, can be vulnerable to people who would exploit them, whether for the child sex trade, whether for domestic servitude, whether just violence or abuse, and whether for illegal trafficking," he said.

For children separated from families and lucky enough to find safe haven at a center like this, international and Haitian authorities plan to conduct a search for living relatives. "It's very important that these children be registered, identified, and brought into a family tracing and family reunification process as quickly as possible because we need these children to be in a safe, protective environment with their immediate¹² or their extended family," he said.

He says Haiti's children also need schools rebuilt and basic social services.  Georg Welleit says the process of rebuilding will take time. "Here in Haiti, everything is out of order at the moment.  And it's still a chaotic¹³ situation, and it will last for years and years.   And it will be really necessary that there is a close cooperation between all NGOs which are based here, between the UN and the US, to really rebuild this country, and to involve the local people," he said.

He says it is essential to help the children, the most vulnerable of the people of Haiti.

 

1 abducted   

劫持，诱拐( abduct的过去式和过去分词 )； 使（肢体等）外展

参考例句：

• Detectives have not ruled out the possibility that she was abducted. 侦探尚未排除她被绑架的可能性。
• The kid was abducted at the gate of kindergarten. 那小孩在幼儿园大门口被绑架走了。

2 illustrates   

给…加插图( illustrate的第三人称单数 )； 说明； 表明； （用示例、图画等）说明

参考例句：

• This historical novel illustrates the breaking up of feudal society in microcosm. 这部历史小说是走向崩溃的封建社会的缩影。
• Alfred Adler, a famous doctor, had an experience which illustrates this. 阿尔弗莱德 - 阿德勒是一位著名的医生，他有过可以说明这点的经历。 来自中级百科部分

3 plight   

n.困境，境况，誓约，艰难；vt.宣誓，保证，约定

参考例句：

• The leader was much concerned over the plight of the refugees.那位领袖对难民的困境很担忧。
• She was in a most helpless plight.她真不知如何是好。

4 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。

5 orphanage   

n.孤儿院

参考例句：

• They dispensed new clothes to the children in the orphanage.他们把新衣服发给孤儿院的小孩们。
• They gave the proceeds of the sale to the orphanage.他们把销售的收入给了这家孤儿院。

6 murky   

adj.黑暗的，朦胧的；adv.阴暗地，混浊地；n.阴暗；昏暗

参考例句：

• She threw it into the river's murky depths.她把它扔进了混浊的河水深处。
• She had a decidedly murky past.她的历史背景令人捉摸不透。

7 smuggled   

水货

参考例句：

• The customs officer confiscated the smuggled goods. 海关官员没收了走私品。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Those smuggled goods have been detained by the port office. 那些走私货物被港务局扣押了。 来自互联网

8 orphans   

孤儿( orphan的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The poor orphans were kept on short commons. 贫苦的孤儿们吃不饱饭。
• Their uncle was declared guardian to the orphans. 这些孤儿的叔父成为他们的监护人。

9 haven   

n.安全的地方，避难所，庇护所

参考例句：

• It's a real haven at the end of a busy working day.忙碌了一整天后，这真是一个安乐窝。
• The school library is a little haven of peace and quiet.学校的图书馆是一个和平且安静的小避风港。

10 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

11 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

12 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

13 chaotic   

adj.混沌的，一片混乱的，一团糟的

参考例句：

• Things have been getting chaotic in the office recently.最近办公室的情况越来越乱了。
• The traffic in the city was chaotic.这城市的交通糟透了。