2006年VOA标准英语-ILO Says End of Child Labor Within Reach

By Mil Arcega
WAshington, DC
05 May 2006
 
watch ILO Child Labor¹
 
  
  
A new report released by a United Nations agency that promotes social justice and labor rights says child labor is declining for the first time around the world. The report by the International Labour Organization (ILO) says its findings suggest an end to the global problem of children who are forced to work may be in sight.

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The International Labour Organization has released a cautious but optimistic report that shows the number of child laborers² around the world has fallen 11 percent, down from 246 million to 218 million over the last four years.

 
Lee Swepston 
  
Lee Swepston, a human rights advisor³ and one of the authors of the report says the agency's goal is to eliminate the worst forms of child labor by 2016. "And the worst forms are things like slavery and prostitution and the very dangerous work by children -- that, we think, with a big effort, can be eliminated in the next ten years."

Sub-Saharan Africa currently has the worst problem with more than 50 million children being forced to work because of the HIV-AIDS epidemic⁴, which the report says has decimated the adult population.  Brazil, on the other hand, has seen its child labor numbers diminish by two-thirds in large part because of programs to reduce poverty.

Although much harder to verify, Swepston says the greatest progress has been in Asia. "If we're right, it's probably China because they've made the biggest steps toward eliminating poverty.  But there are other countries, such as Thailand, which has put in a tremendous amount of effort over the last ten years and they are beginning to see some progress."

 
Geir Myrstad
  
Progress on the plight⁵ of children who work in hazardous⁶ conditions has been even more dramatic, down 26 percent.  Geir Myrstad, a project leader for the International Program on the Elimination⁷ of Child Labour, says increased political will has led to a worldwide movement against child labor, but he says more needs to be done.

"The fact that we have made gains does not mean that now is the time to relax.  Now is the time to intensify⁸ the work and have much stronger and broader alliances."

 
Tom Harkin
  
U.S. Senator Tom Harkin, who has worked to secure congressional funding to stop child labor, agrees. "It is not enough for governments just to ratify⁹ ILO conventions and hope that child labor will vanish on its own.  It won't.  We need to turn words into deeds, and it can be done."

The report will go before an ILO conference in June for ratification¹⁰ by member countries.

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 laborers   

n.体力劳动者，工人( laborer的名词复数 )；（熟练工人的）辅助工

参考例句：

• Laborers were trained to handle 50-ton compactors and giant cranes. 工人们接受操作五十吨压土机和巨型起重机的训练。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• Wage-labour rests exclusively on competition between the laborers. 雇佣劳动完全是建立在工人的自相竞争之上的。 来自英汉非文学 - 共产党宣言

3 advisor   

n.顾问，指导老师，劝告者

参考例句：

• They employed me as an advisor.他们聘请我当顾问。
• The professor is engaged as a technical advisor.这位教授被聘请为技术顾问。

4 epidemic   

n.流行病；盛行；adj.流行性的，流传极广的

参考例句：

• That kind of epidemic disease has long been stamped out.那种传染病早已绝迹。
• The authorities tried to localise the epidemic.当局试图把流行病限制在局部范围。

5 plight   

n.困境，境况，誓约，艰难；vt.宣誓，保证，约定

参考例句：

• The leader was much concerned over the plight of the refugees.那位领袖对难民的困境很担忧。
• She was in a most helpless plight.她真不知如何是好。

6 hazardous   

adj.(有)危险的，冒险的；碰运气的

参考例句：

• These conditions are very hazardous for shipping.这些情况对航海非常不利。
• Everybody said that it was a hazardous investment.大家都说那是一次危险的投资。

7 elimination   

n.排除，消除，消灭

参考例句：

• Their elimination from the competition was a great surprise.他们在比赛中遭到淘汰是个很大的意外。
• I was eliminated from the 400 metres in the semi-finals.我在400米半决赛中被淘汰。

8 intensify   

vt.加强；变强；加剧

参考例句：

• We must intensify our educational work among our own troops.我们必须加强自己部队的教育工作。
• They were ordered to intensify their patrols to protect our air space.他们奉命加强巡逻，保卫我国的领空。

9 ratify   

v.批准，认可，追认

参考例句：

• The heads of two governments met to ratify the peace treaty.两国政府首脑会晤批准和平条约。
• The agreement have to be ratify by the board.该协议必须由董事会批准。

10 ratification   

n.批准，认可

参考例句：

• The treaty is awaiting ratification.条约正等待批准。
• The treaty is subject to ratification.此条约经批准后才能生效。