2006年VOA标准英语-US Says Human Trafficking Arrests Up, But

By Stephanie Ho
Washington
05 June 2006

The State Department's annual 2006 report on human trafficking around the world notes some progress on the issue last year, although it says the overall situation for what it calls "modern slavery" is still bad. The report also warns Germany over an influx¹ of women being brought into the country to serve as prostitutes during the World Cup.

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Condoleezza Rice
  
  

In introducing this year's congressionally-mandated report, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said an estimated 800,000 people, mostly women and children, are victims of human trafficking.

"The harsh reality of human trafficking stuns² even the hardest of hearts - stories of the sexual exploitation of young girls, stories of men and women toiling³ as slave labor⁴ in sweatshops, stories of children forced to kill as rebel soldiers," she said. "Defeating human trafficking is a great moral calling of our time."

This year's report lists Belize, Burma, Cuba, Iran, Laos, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, Uzbekistan, Venezuela and Zimbabwe as countries where governments fail to take effective action to combat human trafficking.

John Miller⁵
  
  
The State Department's John Miller said there is no way to definitively⁶ count the number of human trafficking victims around the world. But, he said an increase in the number of arrests of traffickers is "the start of progress."

"While several years ago, there were just hundreds of traffickers, last year there were about 3,000 convictions of traffickers worldwide," he said. "This year, it's up to around 4,700. That is sending a message, or more of a message anyway, and that is a good sign."

One issue addressed in the report is labor trafficking in Iraq. Miller said the Pentagon investigated a recent case involving Nepalese workers, and has adopted new regulations as a result.

"One, that any contractor⁷ that's responsible to see that workers had their passports," he said. "This is a very common technique of the traffickers, grab the passports. That all contractors⁸ and sub-contractors had to have a signed copy of the employment contract. That subcontractors and contractors must be licensed⁹ recruiting firms. And that recruiting firms not charge employees illegal recruitment fees."

Meanwhile, the U.S. official said Washington is troubled by the apparent export of workers from North Korea to other countries.

"We are concerned that there are reports from both the Czech Republic and Mongolia, for example, of North Korean workers being held in those countries, doing work," Miller said. "The conditions may be better than in North Korea, but they are still - the reports are - they are still trafficking victims. They lack freedom. It's not clear they get any money, whether the money goes to them or the North Korean government."

He added that Washington is concerned about North Koreans who are trafficked in China.

"And some of these are trafficked into China, and some of them are trafficked after they get to China, a lot of them are trafficked to be brides, filling this imbalance that comes from this one-child policy," he said.

Miller said there is special attention being paid to Germany, even though the report gives the country its highest overall rating for compliance¹⁰ with efforts to stop trafficking.

The U.S. official said there are reports thousands of women are being transported to Germany to serve as prostitutes during the World Cup. He said the German ambassador to the United States has assured him that the government is taking measures to stop trafficking

1 influx   

n.流入，注入

参考例句：

• The country simply cannot absorb this influx of refugees.这个国家实在不能接纳这么多涌入的难民。
• Textile workers favoured protection because they feared an influx of cheap cloth.纺织工人拥护贸易保护措施，因为他们担心涌入廉价纺织品。

2 stuns   

v.击晕( stun的第三人称单数 )；使大吃一惊；给（某人）以深刻印象；使深深感动

参考例句：

• But sometimes, a moment stuns us as it happens. 但总有那么一个瞬间让我们惊喜。 来自互联网
• Shield Stun: Stuns the top of the aggro chart, 3s stun. 盾牌昏迷：最大眩晕，3秒钟晕眩。 来自互联网

3 toiling   

长时间或辛苦地工作( toil的现在分词 )； 艰难缓慢地移动，跋涉

参考例句：

• The fiery orator contrasted the idle rich with the toiling working classes. 这位激昂的演说家把无所事事的富人同终日辛劳的工人阶级进行了对比。
• She felt like a beetle toiling in the dust. She was filled with repulsion. 她觉得自己像只甲虫在地里挣扎，心中涌满愤恨。

4 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。

5 miller   

n.磨坊主

参考例句：

• Every miller draws water to his own mill.磨坊主都往自己磨里注水。
• The skilful miller killed millions of lions with his ski.技术娴熟的磨坊主用雪橇杀死了上百万头狮子。

6 definitively   

adv.决定性地，最后地

参考例句：

• None of the three super-states could be definitively conquered even by the other two in combination. 三个超级国家中的任何一国都不可能被任何两国的联盟所绝对打败。 来自英汉文学
• Therefore, nothing can ever be definitively proved with a photograph. 因此，没有什么可以明确了一张照片。 来自互联网

7 contractor   

n.订约人，承包人，收缩肌

参考例句：

• The Tokyo contractor was asked to kick $ 6000 back as commission.那个东京的承包商被要求退还6000美元作为佣金。
• The style of house the contractor builds depends partly on the lay of the land.承包商所建房屋的式样，有几分要看地势而定。

8 contractors   

n.（建筑、监造中的）承包人( contractor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• We got estimates from three different contractors before accepting the lowest. 我们得到3个承包商的报价后，接受了最低的报价。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Contractors winning construction jobs had to kick back 2 per cent of the contract price to the mafia. 赢得建筑工作的承包商得抽出合同价格的百分之二的回扣给黑手党。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 licensed   

adj.得到许可的v.许可，颁发执照(license的过去式和过去分词)

参考例句：

• The new drug has not yet been licensed in the US. 这种新药尚未在美国获得许可。
• Is that gun licensed? 那支枪有持枪执照吗？

10 compliance   

n.顺从；服从；附和；屈从

参考例句：

• I was surprised by his compliance with these terms.我对他竟然依从了这些条件而感到吃惊。
• She gave up the idea in compliance with his desire.她顺从他的愿望而放弃自己的主意。