VOA标准英语2015--联合国维和人员豁免权受到挑战

UN Peacekeeper Immunity¹ Challenged 联合国维和人员豁免权受到挑战

A new initiative has been launched to block U.N. peacekeepers from being granted immunity when accused of sexual exploitation and abuse. At least 50 such alleged² incidents occurred last year, but Code Blue Campaign supporters say the actual number is probably much higher.

The U.N. has admitted that sexual abuse by peacekeepers is a problem and that it has a zero tolerance³ policy toward it. But Paula Donovan, Co-director of AIDS-Free World, said that policy is not enough.

“Both by the U.N.’s own accounts and by anecdotal accounts and information coming from the field and frompeople within the U.N. system, who don’t feel at liberty to speak publically, we know that the problem is actually much more severe than the U.N. is reporting to the General Assembly.”

Donovan said U.N. claims are not backed by the evidence.

“Each year, the Secretary-General reports on the numbers of allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse and claims that the problem is slowly, but surely being solved. In fact, our research shows that that’s not the case at all. That the problem is quite extensive. That the U.N. does not report in the most accurate or transparent⁴ ways about the problems that come to their attention,” she said.

AIDS-Free world is joined in the Code Blue Campaign by Gra?a Machel, who led a 1996 study of sexual exploitation of children in armed conflict; Retired⁵ Lt. General Roméo Dallaire, who commanded the U.N. mission during the Rwanda genocide; African Women’s Development Fund CEO Theo Sowa and former U.N. Under-Secretary General Anwarul Chowdhury.

Donovan said justice is not being served when the U.N. investigates sex abuse allegations against peacekeepers.

“We decided⁶ to try to determine where the breakdown⁷ starts and what we learned was that it’s a chain reaction that actually stems from the fact that under a 1946 convention U.N. staff, police and experts on mission – in peacekeeping missions – have immunity. So, we’re calling for the end to what we are perceiving as a misinterpretation of a very old convention,” she said.

She said immunity was originally meant for diplomats⁸, but is now being applied⁹ to accused criminals.

“So, we will also be calling for a complete and thorough commission of inquiry¹⁰ independent entirely¹¹ of the United Nations that will look at what’s broken within the system and not only how it needs to be fixed¹², but who is responsible and who needs to be held to account for the dreadful way that these cases are handled, covered-up and misrepresented to the public,” said Donovan.

Naming the campaign Code Blue, she said, is not just because the U.N. operates under a blue flag.

“In the United States and some other countries, when all efforts have failed to keep the patient alive and the patient is going into cardiac arrest in a hospital, an announcement is made throughout the hospital – code blue in room such and such – and all who can help to keep the patient alive rush to the scene and help to resuscitate¹³ the patient who is near death. So, we feel as though we’re at that point with the United Nations.”

The Code Blue Campaign calls for amending¹⁴ the 1946 Convention on the Privileges and Immunities¹⁵ of the United Nations. It said the convention should exclude sex-related crimes from the immunity granted to U.N. personnel. Another option, said Donovan, is to have the Secretary-General “issue a policy bulletin” of the convention “that reflects today’s realities.” 

“That immunity should never have been in place or applied where these particular accusations¹⁶ are concerned. And you have the double standard here. You can say you have zero tolerance for sexual exploitation and abuse – but you’re tolerant enough to have the presumption¹⁷ of immunity when someone is accused,” she said.

Campaign organizers denied the effort will harm U.N. operations. They said it will “strengthen the reputation and credibility of a critical U.N. function.”

Accusations of sexual abuse have been leveled against French and African peacekeepers in Central African Republic after an internal U.N. report was leaked in April. The United States has called for an inquiry into how the U.N. dealt with the allegations. The report says alleged abuses against children occurred between December 2013 and June of 2014. 

U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Samantha Powers said if the allegations are true it would be a “profound violation…of the dignity and physical security of individuals in their most vulnerable state.”

To listen to interview with retired Lt. Gen. Romeo Dallaire on his support for the Code Blue Campaign, click on the link below.

1 immunity   

n.优惠；免除；豁免，豁免权

参考例句：

• The law gives public schools immunity from taxation.法律免除公立学校的纳税义务。
• He claims diplomatic immunity to avoid being arrested.他要求外交豁免以便避免被捕。

2 alleged   

a.被指控的，嫌疑的

参考例句：

• It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
• alleged irregularities in the election campaign 被指称竞选运动中的不正当行为

3 tolerance   

n.宽容；容忍，忍受；耐药力；公差

参考例句：

• Tolerance is one of his strengths.宽容是他的一个优点。
• Human beings have limited tolerance of noise.人类对噪音的忍耐力有限。

4 transparent   

adj.明显的，无疑的；透明的

参考例句：

• The water is so transparent that we can see the fishes swimming.水清澈透明，可以看到鱼儿游来游去。
• The window glass is transparent.窗玻璃是透明的。

5 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

6 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

7 breakdown   

n.垮，衰竭；损坏，故障，倒塌

参考例句：

• She suffered a nervous breakdown.她患神经衰弱。
• The plane had a breakdown in the air,but it was fortunately removed by the ace pilot.飞机在空中发生了故障，但幸运的是被王牌驾驶员排除了。

8 diplomats   

n.外交官( diplomat的名词复数 )；有手腕的人，善于交际的人

参考例句：

• These events led to the expulsion of senior diplomats from the country. 这些事件导致一些高级外交官被驱逐出境。
• The court has no jurisdiction over foreign diplomats living in this country. 法院对驻本国的外交官无裁判权。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 applied   

adj.应用的；v.应用，适用

参考例句：

• She plans to take a course in applied linguistics.她打算学习应用语言学课程。
• This cream is best applied to the face at night.这种乳霜最好晚上擦脸用。

10 inquiry   

n.打听，询问，调查，查问

参考例句：

• Many parents have been pressing for an inquiry into the problem.许多家长迫切要求调查这个问题。
• The field of inquiry has narrowed down to five persons.调查的范围已经缩小到只剩5个人了。

11 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

12 fixed   

adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的

参考例句：

• Have you two fixed on a date for the wedding yet?你们俩选定婚期了吗？
• Once the aim is fixed,we should not change it arbitrarily.目标一旦确定，我们就不应该随意改变。

13 resuscitate   

v.使复活，使苏醒

参考例句：

• A policeman and then a paramedic tried to resuscitate her.一名警察和一位护理人员先后试图救活她。
• As instructed by Rinpoche,we got the doctors to resuscitate him.遵照仁波切的指示，我们找来医生帮他进行急救。

14 amending   

改良，修改，修订( amend的现在分词 )； 改良，修改，修订( amend的第三人称单数 )( amends的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Amending acts in 1933,1934, and 1935 attempted to help honest debtors rehabilitate themselves. 一九三三年，一九三四年和一九三五年通过的修正案是为了帮助诚实的债务人恢复自己的地位。
• Two ways were used about the error-amending of contour curve. 采用两种方法对凸轮轮廓曲线进行了修正。

15 immunities   

免除，豁免( immunity的名词复数 )； 免疫力

参考例句：

• Supplying nutrients and immunities to my baby? 为我的宝贝提供营养物质和免疫物质？
• And these provide immunities against the a host of infections and diseases. 这些物质可提高婴儿的免疫力，使之免受病毒感染和疾病侵袭。

16 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。

17 presumption   

n.推测，可能性，冒昧，放肆，[法律]推定

参考例句：

• Please pardon my presumption in writing to you.请原谅我很冒昧地写信给你。
• I don't think that's a false presumption.我认为那并不是错误的推测。