VOA标准英语2014--6月15日——认识虐待老年人问题世界日

 

June 15 is Elder Abuse Awareness¹ Day 6月15日——认识虐待老年人问题世界日

Sunday, June 15, is Elder Abuse Awareness Day. The World Health Organization describes elder abuse as a global social issue affecting the health and human rights of millions of people. It estimates up to six-percent of the elderly are abused at home, with many cases going unreported.

The U.N. predicts the number of people 60 years old and above will reach about 1.2-billion by 2025. That’s more than double the figure recorded in 1995. And as the global population ages, the U.N. said elder abuse is expected to rise.

In Pretoria, South Africa, Necodimus Chipfupa is among those campaigning for the rights of older people. He’s the regional director for southern Africa for HelpAge International.

“Elder abuse is a universal problem encountered in many countries – with little recourse at [the] national level where [the] government in some cases may not have specific policies to encounter and remedy where such abuse is taking place.”

He said there’s a wide range of abuse against the elderly.

“Physical, emotional, sexual, psychological abuses -- and in some cases discrimination and denial of rights for older persons -- thereby² taking them as sub-persons in their own nations,” he said

And the abuse can be violent.

“For example,” he said, “in witchcraft³ accusations⁴, in the case of Africa, or in circumstances where an older person or an older woman is suffering from Alzheimer’s as a form of dementia – they are labeled as a witch and violently killed. Their property torched.”

Chipfupa said some elderly women are raped⁵ because of the myth that having sex with an older person can cure someone of HIV/AIDS.

The HelpAge International regional director says elderly, who receive government assistance, are also targets.

“In some cases, like in South Africa, where older persons receive a social grant, families abuse them and take the money – using it for their own purposes without even consulting the older person. And in such a situation the police having no recourse and not being helpful at all.”

Abuse comes in other forms, as well, he said. For example, many who have jobs in the informal sector⁶ have no pensions or health insurance to rely on in old age.

“With old age non-communicable diseases begin to increase and people really need access to health services. And there are no medical insurances, which they could contribute to and lead to supporting them at old age, as it were. And, therefore, older persons find themselves hit hard when they’re sick and require medical services,” he said.

To remedy such problems, there’s a growing call for a U.N. convention on the rights of older people. HelpAge said such a treaty would “set standards prohibiting violence against older men and women that currently do not exist in international human rights law.” And the convention would ensure victims have access to the justice system.

Support for the convention is being gathered through the Age Demands Action campaign, which includes a petition. The goal is to collect 300,000 signatures. More than 200,000 have been collected so far. The petition said governments have an “obligation to uphold the rights of older people and protect them from discrimination.”

A U.N. working group on ageing will meet in July in New York to gather information and evidence on the need for the convention.

1 awareness   

n.意识，觉悟，懂事，明智

参考例句：

• There is a general awareness that smoking is harmful.人们普遍认识到吸烟有害健康。
• Environmental awareness has increased over the years.这些年来人们的环境意识增强了。

2 thereby   

adv.因此，从而

参考例句：

• I have never been to that city,,ereby I don't know much about it.我从未去过那座城市，因此对它不怎么熟悉。
• He became a British citizen,thereby gaining the right to vote.他成了英国公民，因而得到了投票权。

3 witchcraft   

n.魔法，巫术

参考例句：

• The woman practising witchcraft claimed that she could conjure up the spirits of the dead.那个女巫说她能用魔法召唤亡灵。
• All these things that you call witchcraft are capable of a natural explanation.被你们统统叫做巫术的那些东西都可以得到合情合理的解释。

4 accusations   

n.指责( accusation的名词复数 )；指控；控告；（被告发、控告的）罪名

参考例句：

• There were accusations of plagiarism. 曾有过关于剽窃的指控。
• He remained unruffled by their accusations. 对于他们的指控他处之泰然。

5 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

6 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
• The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。