DEVELOPMENT REPORT - Trafficking and Labor Reports Highlight

DEVELOPMENT REPORT - Trafficking and Labor¹ Reports Highlight Threats to Children's Futures
By Jill Moss²

Broadcast: Monday, June 21, 2004

This is Robert Cohen with the VOA Special English Development Report.

Two separate reports offer new evidence for the problems facing children.

Last week the American State Department released its two-thousand-four Trafficking in Persons Report. This rates efforts by one-hundred-forty countries to fight slavery. Information comes from American embassies, human rights groups and non-governmental organizations.

The report divides the countries into three groups. The first two are countries believed to be working hard against trafficking or trying to improve. But the third group is nations believed to be making little or no effort. They could lose some American assistance or face other restrictions³.

Ten nations are in this group. Burma, North Korea, Cuba and Sudan were also listed last year. This year the State Department added Bangladesh, Equatorial Guinea and Sierra Leone. It also added Venezuela, Guyana and Ecuador.

Forty-two nations are on a special "watch list" of countries at risk of being given the lowest rating. One of them is Japan. The report says Japan could do much more to protect thousands of victims of sexual slavery linked to organized crime groups. Japan says it will do more.

 
Children taken from traffickers intercepted⁴ by police are housed at the Terre Des Hommes shelter in Cotonou, Benin
Worldwide, the report estimates that each year as many as eight-hundred-thousand people are taken across national borders for trafficking. It also notes that some groups place the number far higher. Most victims are women and girls forced into sexual slavery. Men are often forced into labor. Boys generally become child soldiers.

Secretary of State Colin Powell says some countries have improved over the past year, including Turkey. It moved up from the lowest group to the watch list. Mister Powell said President Bush has promised fifty-million dollars more to fight international trafficking. This is above the seventy-million dollars budgeted for the past year.

On June twelfth the International Labor Organization released a report for World Day Against Child Labor. The United Nations agency says at least ten-million children are being forced to work as house cleaners. In most cases, they earn little or no money. They are trapped. The report says that often the children are beaten or forced to have sex. Most of the victims are girls, some as young as ten.

This VOA Special English Development Report was written by Jill Moss. This is Robert Cohen.

1 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。

2 moss   

n.苔，藓，地衣

参考例句：

• Moss grows on a rock.苔藓生在石头上。
• He was found asleep on a pillow of leaves and moss.有人看见他枕着树叶和苔藓睡着了。

3 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

4 intercepted   

拦截( intercept的过去式和过去分词 )； 截住； 截击； 拦阻

参考例句：

• Reporters intercepted him as he tried to leave the hotel. 他正要离开旅馆，记者们把他拦截住了。
• Reporters intercepted him as he tried to leave by the rear entrance. 他想从后门溜走，记者把他截住了。