VOA慢速英语--战争期间酷刑率越来越多

Acceptance of Torture During War is Growing 战争期间酷刑率越来越多

A new study has found changes in public opinion on the issue of torture and its use to get “important military information.”

The study found that the percentage of people who felt torture was a useful tool increased in 16 countries over a 17-year period. The approval rate this year was 36 percent, compared to 28 percent in 1999.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) organized the survey and reported the findings.

Researchers questioned more than 17,000 people between June and September of 2016. Most of those questioned were from countries in conflict. Other subjects lived in Switzerland or the five permanent members of the United Nations: Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States.

Morally Wrong

The president of the ICRC, Peter Maurer, says the results were troubling.

"The percentage of those who think it is acceptable to torture a captured enemy combatant in order to obtain important military information has risen from 28 to 36 percent today in the poll. Even more shocking, only slightly less than half of the people - 48 percent as of this year - believe this behavior is wrong compared to 66 percent in the 1999 survey."

However, Maurer said he felt more hopeful after seeing the answers to other survey questions. Eighty percent of those surveyed believed that wars should have limits, and that fighters should not target civilians².

The same percentage also believed that attacking hospitals, emergency medical vehicles, and health care workers as a way to weaken the enemy is wrong.

Maurer noted³ that torture is illegal under international humanitarian⁴ law. “Torture is wrong,” he said, adding that it can harm communities for generations.

The ICRC president recently met with military officials in Russia. He told VOA that he did not find anyone in Moscow or Washington who thought that torture works. He said that not only is torture morally wrong, but it also is not effective in finding the truth.

Empathy to human suffering

The survey also found that people living in the Security Council’s permanent members were more likely to accept civilian¹ deaths than people from areas affected⁵ by war.

In the five, only 50 percent of people said that it was wrong to attack enemy fighters in populated areas, “knowing that many civilians would be killed.” In nations affected by war, 78 percent said that this was wrong.

Maurer observed that the closer people were to a conflict, the more they believed in the importance of respecting international humanitarian law.

He added that living far from the realities of warfare⁶ makes it easier for people to be disconnected than having to see horrible images from war all the time.

According to Maurer, the most import point of the survey results is that “we must not lose our empathy and become numb⁷ to human suffering.”

Words in This Story

combatant – n. a person, group, or country that fights in a war or battle.

empathy – n. the feeling that you understand and share another person's experiences and emotions.

numb – adj. unable to think, feel, or react normally because of something that shocks or upsets you.

obtain – v. to gain or get.

survey – n. an activity in which many people are asked a question or a series of questions in order to gather information.

1 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。

2 civilians   

平民，百姓( civilian的名词复数 )； 老百姓

参考例句：

• the bloody massacre of innocent civilians 对无辜平民的血腥屠杀
• At least 300 civilians are unaccounted for after the bombing raids. 遭轰炸袭击之后，至少有300名平民下落不明。

3 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

4 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。

5 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

6 warfare   

n.战争(状态)；斗争；冲突

参考例句：

• He addressed the audience on the subject of atomic warfare.他向听众演讲有关原子战争的问题。
• Their struggle consists mainly in peasant guerrilla warfare.他们的斗争主要是农民游击战。

7 numb   

adj.麻木的，失去感觉的；v.使麻木

参考例句：

• His fingers were numb with cold.他的手冻得发麻。
• Numb with cold,we urged the weary horses forward.我们冻得发僵，催着疲惫的马继续往前走。