VOA标准英语2010年-Amnesty International Report says Wome

A recent report by Amnesty International says women and girls living in Nairobi's more than 200 slums are at constant risk of being raped², especially after dark.

 

Risk of 'going to the toilet'

Going to the toilet at night for some girls and women living in a Nairobi slum is risky³. Many females prefer so-called  "flying toilets," the common practice of putting waste in a plastic bag and tossing it away.

In this part of town, bathrooms - or even piped water - inside of houses is an unimaginable luxury. But women dare not venture out past twilight⁴ to use the few available public facilities.

One woman did not want her name used. She tells the story of what happened to her one evening when she walked to the public toilet and met up with a group of men.

"They started beating me up, one of them removing my clothes. I tried to struggle and get away, but they were too strong. I could only scream as they beat me up. They hit my mouth with stones. I lost some teeth and the others had to be put in braces⁵. I kept struggling and I screamed as one of them attempted to rape¹ me. Fortunately, it was not late at night, so people came when they heard me screaming. The men ran away," a female victim explained.

The woman's experience is one of many detailed⁶ in a recent Amnesty International report.

Justus Nyang'aya is director of Amnesty International Kenya. He says that, while all people who live in slums are denied their basic human rights to sanitation⁷, a clean environment and security, women in particular suffer indignity⁸ when facilities and safety are lacking.

"In terms of relieving yourself, a man can do it on a fence. It is not easy for a woman to do it on a fence because of the nature of indignity that comes with it. The sense of respect and self-worth stops women from just going to relieve themselves on a fence in the open as people are watching. And that is why at a certain time of the night, women will take their bath in their homes but also, because of lack of toilet facilities, they will excrete in bags in their house," Nyang'aya said.

Living conditions are difficult in informal settlements

But even taking a bath in their own homes is difficult for women. A typical home in an informal settlement is one room that can hold up to eight people. If family members do not leave the room, she may be forced to bathe in front of them or forgo⁹ her bath.

There are 200 slums, or "informal settlements," in Kenya's capital. An estimated two million people, or half of Nairobi's population live in them. Yet, the informal settlements take up just five per cent of Nairobi's residential¹⁰ area and just one per cent of all land in the city.

 

Informal settlements are not included in city planning. Most residents do not receive basic services such as running water, sewage pipes and electricity. Only 24 percent of residents have access to toilet facilities at household level, with up to 200 people sharing a single latrine in some neighborhoods.

Security is nonexistent

Amnesty International's Justus Nyang'aya says that even security services are absent. "There is no single police station or policing that is taking place in the informal settlements. If anybody is attacked or if somebody needs access to justice they have to walk maybe about six kilometers to the nearest police station or even 10 [kilometers] because there is none that is serving them," he said.

Nyang'aya says that one out of every five women in Kenya's slums are raped and most are afraid to report the attacks for fear of reprisals¹¹.

He says there has been some progress. Nairobi's city council has installed lights in some areas and added toilets in others. But Nyang'aya says informal settlements need to be included in city planning.

Left to their own defenses, some women are fighting back. In the informal settlement of Korogocho, a group called I'm Worth Defending teaches women self-defense skills and provides rape counseling.
 

1 rape   

n.抢夺，掠夺，强奸；vt.掠夺，抢夺，强奸

参考例句：

• The rape of the countryside had a profound ravage on them.对乡村的掠夺给他们造成严重创伤。
• He was brought to court and charged with rape.他被带到法庭并被指控犯有强奸罪。

2 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

3 risky   

adj.有风险的，冒险的

参考例句：

• It may be risky but we will chance it anyhow.这可能有危险，但我们无论如何要冒一冒险。
• He is well aware how risky this investment is.他心里对这项投资的风险十分清楚。

4 twilight   

n.暮光，黄昏；暮年，晚期，衰落时期

参考例句：

• Twilight merged into darkness.夕阳的光辉融于黑暗中。
• Twilight was sweet with the smell of lilac and freshly turned earth.薄暮充满紫丁香和新翻耕的泥土的香味。

5 braces   

n.吊带，背带；托架( brace的名词复数 )；箍子；括弧；（儿童）牙箍v.支住( brace的第三人称单数 )；撑牢；使自己站稳；振作起来

参考例句：

• The table is shaky because the braces are loose. 这张桌子摇摇晃晃，因为支架全松了。
• You don't need braces if you're wearing a belt! 要系腰带，就用不着吊带了。

6 detailed   

adj.详细的，详尽的，极注意细节的，完全的

参考例句：

• He had made a detailed study of the terrain.他对地形作了缜密的研究。
• A detailed list of our publications is available on request.我们的出版物有一份详细的目录备索。

7 sanitation   

n.公共卫生，环境卫生，卫生设备

参考例句：

• The location is exceptionally poor,viewed from the sanitation point.从卫生角度来看，这个地段非常糟糕。
• Many illnesses are the result,f inadequate sanitation.许多疾病都来源于不健全的卫生设施。

8 indignity   

n.侮辱，伤害尊严，轻蔑

参考例句：

• For more than a year we have suffered the indignity.在一年多的时间里,我们丢尽了丑。
• She was subjected to indignity and humiliation.她受到侮辱和羞辱。

9 forgo   

v.放弃，抛弃

参考例句：

• Time to prepare was a luxuary he would have to forgo.因为时间不够，他不得不放弃做准备工作。
• She would willingly forgo a birthday treat if only her warring parents would declare a truce.只要她的父母停止争吵，她愿意放弃生日宴请。

10 residential   

adj.提供住宿的；居住的；住宅的

参考例句：

• The mayor inspected the residential section of the city.市长视察了该市的住宅区。
• The residential blocks were integrated with the rest of the college.住宿区与学院其他部分结合在了一起。

11 reprisals   

n.报复（行为）( reprisal的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• They did not want to give evidence for fear of reprisals. 他们因为害怕报复而不想作证。
• They took bloody reprisals against the leaders. 他们对领导进行了血腥的报复。 来自《简明英汉词典》