2006年VOA标准英语-Iraq's Internally Displaced People in Need Food

By Lisa Schlein
Geneva
12 December 2006

 
Paralyzed woman crawls out of a tent at a shelter for internally displaced people in Baghdad's Shi'ite neighborhood Kazimiyah, 6 Oct 2006
The International Organization for Migration¹ reports thousands of people who fled violence in central Iraq for the relative safety of a poor southern region are barely managing to survive. Lisa Schlein reports for VOA from IOM headquarters in Geneva.

These vulnerable people are among some 300,000 who have fled the violence in Iraq.

The International Organization for Migration says the thousands of Iraqis who have arrived in the southern region of Missan since February are living in relative peace. But, it says nearly 30 percent of those surveyed say they do not have regular access to clean water. In addition, many of the displaced Iraqis say food assistance is irregular and not sufficient.

IOM spokesman Jean-Philippe Chauzy says another problem is fuel, which is expensive or unavailable. He expects many people will have difficulty in the winter when fuel is essential for heating and cooking.

He says the situation is particularly bleak² for female-headed households.

"Women do not have access to work. The social networks that existed in the past to 
Iraqi boy holds a portrait of a killed relative during a protest by displaced Sunnis in Baghdad's al-Adil neighborhood, 10 Dec 2006
assist single-headed households, widows, have broken down," he said. "We also know that a lot of those, particularly vulnerable who were taken in by families or the extended family, that those family bonds are breaking down under the pressure."

The U.N. Children's Fund notes female-headed households are increasing throughout the country as a consequence of the escalating³ violence. Spokesman Michael Bociurkiw says 11 percent of Iraqi households are headed by women.

He says that number is sure to climb as more and more men get killed.

"The Iraq Red Crescent and other NGO's [non-governmental organizations] have reported a significant increase since mid-2006 in the number of women seeking help to feed their children after being widowed, particularly in Baghdad and the south-central zone," explained Bociurkiw. "We are also seeing as a result of increasing poverty, in urban Iraq especially, street children are an increasingly a visible phenomenon."

Bociurkiw says education also is severely⁴ hit, especially for girls. He says one-fifth of Iraqi girls were not enrolled⁵ in primary school in 2004 and that number continues to go up. He says schools are affected⁶ by sectarian violence and girls' schools often are singled out for special threats.

1 migration   

n.迁移，移居，（鸟类等的）迁徙

参考例句：

• Swallows begin their migration south in autumn.燕子在秋季开始向南方迁移。
• He described the vernal migration of birds in detail.他详细地描述了鸟的春季移居。

2 bleak   

adj.(天气)阴冷的；凄凉的；暗淡的

参考例句：

• They showed me into a bleak waiting room.他们引我来到一间阴冷的会客室。
• The company's prospects look pretty bleak.这家公司的前景异常暗淡。

3 escalating   

v.（使）逐步升级( escalate的现在分词 )；（使）逐步扩大；（使）更高；（使）更大

参考例句：

• The cost of living is escalating. 生活费用在迅速上涨。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The cost of living is escalating in the country. 这个国家的生活费用在上涨。 来自辞典例句

4 severely   

adv.严格地；严厉地；非常恶劣地

参考例句：

• He was severely criticized and removed from his post.他受到了严厉的批评并且被撤了职。
• He is severely put down for his careless work.他因工作上的粗心大意而受到了严厉的批评。

5 enrolled   

adj.入学登记了的v.[亦作enrol]( enroll的过去式和过去分词 )；登记，招收，使入伍（或入会、入学等），参加，成为成员；记入名册；卷起，包起

参考例句：

• They have been studying hard from the moment they enrolled. 从入学时起，他们就一直努力学习。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He enrolled with an employment agency for a teaching position. 他在职业介绍所登了记以谋求一个教师的职位。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 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。