VOA慢速英语2021--Neglect Drives Child Labor in Syria

 

Small groups of children near Idlib, Syria, can often be found working in large fields of trash. They look for plastic bottles and bags, soda¹ cans or pieces of metal to sell to help feed their families.

Twelve-year-old Hassan Alhamdi is one of those children. He says he once had dreams of growing up to be a teacher. But now he is proud to be able to provide for his family.

"I collect plastic bags for work," he says. "I leave in the morning and come back at night. I bring food and bread for my siblings²."

Hassan, his parents and his seven brothers and sisters fled their home in Idlib more than a year ago.

Almost one million other people were forced out of their homes because of fighting in Syria's ongoing³ civil war. Now, Hassan and his siblings work every day of the week. They do not go to school.

Their parents say it is saddening to watch their children grow up without an education. Aid organizations and other governments have not helped them, says the children's mother, Mahdiye Alhamad.

"These jobs will impact everything about their future," she said. "They don't even know how to write."

Out of school

Ali is Hassan Alhamdi's 11-year-old brother. He says he dreams of having a bicycle, a football and an education. But for now, he says, he is mostly just tired.

"I wish I could go to school," he added. "It would be better. But we are working."

The non-governmental organization Human Rights Watch says about 2 million children inside Syria do not go to school. Outside the country, nearly one million Syrian refugee⁴ children are also not attending classes.

The United Nations children's organization UNICEF says millions more children are being pushed into the workforce⁵ as poverty deepens⁶ because of the pandemic. The longer children remain out of school, the organization says, the less likely it is that they will have the chance to return.

Non-governmental organizations have set up some schools in the Idlib area. But officials at the schools say that many children who do attend class come in late or leave early for their jobs.

"Everything in our society has changed from the war," said Muzn Naes, a school supervisor⁷. "Some students work because their families are poor. Others have parents that were killed or wounded."

Along with missing their education, children are in danger of getting injured or treated unfairly at work, Naes said. Child labor⁸ also could worsen the area's already weakened economy.

"Child labor affects everything in society," she said. "And when it increases, so does unemployment. Employers hire children for low pay, replacing adults."

Selling the trash collected in the fields is not enough to support Hassan and Ali Alhamdi and the other families. Increasingly, the boys have to walk farther and farther from home to find enough trash to sell.

"I'm getting so tired, but what can I do?" Hassan Alhamdi said. "This is our situation. We have to work to feed ourselves."

Words in This Story

trash – n. things that are no longer useful or wanted and that have been thrown away

siblings – n. brothers and/or sisters

soda – n. a drink made of soda water, flavoring, and often ice cream

society – n. people in general thought of as living together in organized communities with shared laws, traditions, and values

impact – v. to have a strong and often bad effect on (something or someone)

1 soda   

n.苏打水；汽水

参考例句：

• She doesn't enjoy drinking chocolate soda.她不喜欢喝巧克力汽水。
• I will freshen your drink with more soda and ice cubes.我给你的饮料重加一些苏打水和冰块。

2 siblings   

n.兄弟，姐妹( sibling的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• A triplet sleeps amongst its two siblings. 一个三胞胎睡在其两个同胞之间。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• She has no way of tracking the donor or her half-siblings down. 她没办法找到那个捐精者或她的兄弟姐妹。 来自时文部分

3 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

4 refugee   

n.难民，流亡者

参考例句：

• The refugee was condemned to a life of wandering.这个难民注定要过流浪的生活。
• The refugee is suffering for want of food and medical supplies.难民苦于缺少食物和医药用品。

5 workforce   

n.劳动大军，劳动力

参考例句：

• A large part of the workforce is employed in agriculture.劳动人口中一大部分受雇于农业。
• A quarter of the local workforce is unemployed.本地劳动力中有四分之一失业。

6 deepens   

v.变深，加深( deepen的第三人称单数 )；加浓

参考例句：

• Wine deepens on aging. 酒久藏而变醇。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• \"The sand-sea deepens with fathomless ice, And darkness masses its endless clouds;\" 瀚海阑干百丈冰，愁云黪淡万里凝。 来自英汉 - 翻译样例 - 文学

7 supervisor   

n.监督人，管理人，检查员，督学，主管，导师

参考例句：

• Between you and me I think that new supervisor is a twit.我们私下说，我认为新来的主管人是一个傻瓜。
• He said I was too flighty to be a good supervisor.他说我太轻浮不能成为一名好的管理员。

8 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。