VOA常速英语2015--贫困无知迫使女孩早婚（在线收听）

贫困无知迫使女孩早婚

WASHINGTON— The recent marriage of a 17-year old Chechen girl to a local police chief who was 30 years older and already had a wife caused an outcry in Russia and beyond. The bride was reportedly forced to marry and her parents were intimidated into giving their consent. The union, supported by Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, spotlighted yet again the plight of many underage girls in developing countries.

Russian law bans forced, underage and polygamous marriages. But in Russia's remote Caucasus region, tribal laws and traditions carry more weight than state law. And so on Saturday, 47-year old Nazhud Guchigov married a 17-year old bride.

俄罗斯法律禁止强迫婚姻、未成年婚姻和一夫多妻，但在俄罗斯偏远的高加索地区，部落法和传统比国家法律更有分量。因此在周六，47岁的纳祖德·古奇戈夫与一名17岁的新娘结婚了。

Chechen leader Kadyrov attended the wedding and one his aides was at the bride's side for most of the ceremony. Police warned Russian journalists who investigated the controversial wedding to stay away.

车臣领导人卡德罗夫参加了婚姻，他的一名助手站在新娘的身边主持着婚礼。警方警告那些调查这一有争议婚礼的俄罗斯记者离远点。

Despite laws against child marriage, in developing countries one in every three girls is married before reaching age 18. One in nine is married under age 15. The problem was discussed at a symposium in Morocco this week.

尽管法律反对童婚，在发展中国家，每三个女孩中就有一个不到18岁就结婚了。每9个女孩中就有一个不到15岁结婚，本周摩洛哥的座谈会讨论了这一问题。

"We realize now that if we do not accelerate the pace, and if we do not respond more or put more programs in place, there will be 1.2 billion girls who will be married before the year 2050," said Lakshmi Sundaram, head of Girls Not Brides.

“我们现在意识到如果我们不加快行动，如果我们不加大应对或实施更多措施，那么在2050年之前将会有12亿女孩结婚。”

Bangladesh, India and Niger are the most affected countries with three in every four girls getting married before age 18. The practice continues mostly due to persistent poverty and gender inequality and is often arranged by a girl's parents.

孟加拉国、印度和尼日尔是问题最严重的国家，每四个女孩中就有三个是在18岁之前结婚的。这一习俗之所以能够延续，在很大程度上是因为持续的贫困和性别不平等，而且婚姻通常是由女孩的父母操办的。

"So it is at this level that we must first intervene. And the second level is at the community level, for the community to start perceiving these dangers," said Sidikou Moussa, a child advocate from Nigeria.

“所以目前我们必须首先进行干预，第二步是在社区层面上，社区要开始注意到这些危险。”

This fourteen-year-old in India was able to avoid the marriage her parents arranged by appealing to her school principal, "Today was to be my wedding day, I'm not getting married, I want to study."

这名14岁的印度女孩向校长求助，所以得以逃避了父母给她安排的婚事。“今天本是我结婚的日子，但我不想结婚，我想上学。”

Experts say governments in the affected countries need to do more to keep girls in the educational system and protect them from abuse and violence.

专家称这些出现问题国家的政府需要做更多来让女孩们继续接受教育，并保护她们免受虐待和暴力。