VOA标准英语2014--Pakistan Struggles to Find Missing Children 巴基斯坦努力寻找失踪儿童

 

Pakistan Struggles to Find Missing Children 巴基斯坦努力寻找失踪儿童

ISLAMABAD — Thousands of children are abducted¹ in Pakistan every year -- kidnapped for ransom², sold into sexual trafficking or begging gangs, and some are killed. Pakistan is struggling to cope and combat this epidemic³.

Ghulaman Mai’s son is missing.

“I have prayed and begged that I get my child back, my son, Shaukat, I want him back. Allah, his name is Shaukat, he is a small child, innocent,” she said.

Shaukat is just one of the 2,700 children known to have gone missing in Karachi in the past year.

Muhammad Ali runs the Roshni missing children helpline in Karachi, Pakistan’s largest city.

“One of the reasons is kidnapping for ransom, and second is kidnapping for sexual assault. Third is the purpose of kidnapping for beggary, the kidnappers⁴ are from the beggars groups in Karachi, and the fourth one is for trafficking,” he said.

Big business

Police say children also are stolen and smuggled⁵ to the Middle East to work as prostitutes, drug carriers, slaves or even as camel jockeys.

Karachi Police Superintendent⁶ Syed Mazhar Ali Shah said trafficking in children is big business.

“They are very high-profile, gangs are -- they are related with the high-profile bureaucrats⁷, politicians, businessmen in foreign countries and Pakistan also,” he said.

Arman Khan’s five-year-old daughter Madeeha went missing almost a year ago. He has been searching for her ever since. He thinks he is finally close to finding her.

“Last week a few culprits were caught, and they admitted kidnapping and selling my daughter to some Afghani. That Afghani has also been arrested, but so far he has not said if my child is alive or dead, with him or not, or even in Pakistan,” said Khan.

Making changes

The first 24 hours that a child is missing are considered crucial, though many parents are confused as to how to approach the police.

This is the big challenge. People do not come forward for reporting, to lodging⁸ the FIRs [First Information Reports], for getting help by the police, due to the fears for the insecurity of the child,” said Karachi police superintendent Shah.

Activists⁹ say the problem is the law itself: If a child is reported as missing, police are not obliged to investigate. Only if the child is reported as forcibly abducted can the police take action.

Ministry¹⁰ of Human Rights Director General Muhammad Hassan Mangi admitted the country must do a lot more.

“Services have been started, also together with civil society organizations, but this needs more comprehensiveness in terms of protecting any child requiring protection,” he said.

 

For Ghulaman Mai and her missing eight-year-old son, that provides little consolation¹¹. 

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 ransom   

n.赎金，赎身；v.赎回，解救

参考例句：

• We'd better arrange the ransom right away.我们最好马上把索取赎金的事安排好。
• The kidnappers exacted a ransom of 10000 from the family.绑架者向这家人家勒索10000英镑的赎金。

3 epidemic   

n.流行病；盛行；adj.流行性的，流传极广的

参考例句：

• That kind of epidemic disease has long been stamped out.那种传染病早已绝迹。
• The authorities tried to localise the epidemic.当局试图把流行病限制在局部范围。

4 kidnappers   

n.拐子，绑匪( kidnapper的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• They were freed yesterday by their kidnappers unharmed. 他们昨天被绑架者释放了，没有受到伤害。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The kidnappers had threatened to behead all four unless their jailed comrades were released. 帮匪们曾经威胁说如果印度方面不释放他们的同伙，他们就要将这四名人质全部斩首。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 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

6 superintendent   

n.监督人，主管，总监；(英国)警务长

参考例句：

• He was soon promoted to the post of superintendent of Foreign Trade.他很快就被擢升为对外贸易总监。
• He decided to call the superintendent of the building.他决定给楼房管理员打电话。

7 bureaucrats   

n.官僚( bureaucrat的名词复数 )；官僚主义；官僚主义者；官僚语言

参考例句：

• That is the fate of the bureaucrats, not the inspiration of statesmen. 那是官僚主义者的命运，而不是政治家的灵感。 来自辞典例句
• Big business and dozens of anonymous bureaucrats have as much power as Japan's top elected leaders. 大企业和许多不知名的官僚同日本选举出来的最高层领导者们的权力一样大。 来自辞典例句

8 lodging   

n.寄宿，住所；(大学生的)校外宿舍

参考例句：

• The bill is inclusive of the food and lodging. 账单包括吃、住费用。
• Where can you find lodging for the night? 你今晚在哪里借宿?

9 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》

10 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。

11 consolation   

n.安慰，慰问

参考例句：

• The children were a great consolation to me at that time.那时孩子们成了我的莫大安慰。
• This news was of little consolation to us.这个消息对我们来说没有什么安慰。