2007年VOA标准英语-UN Spotlights Discrimination and Violence Again

By Peter Heinlein
United Nations
26 February 2007

Women's activists¹ and government delegates from around the world are meeting at the United Nations to develop a strategy for ending discrimination and violence against girls. From U.N. headquarters, VOA's Peter Heinlein reports the opening session heard a plea from children to have their voices heard.

Asha-Rose Migiro (5 Feb 2007)

The U.N. Commission on the Status of Women is celebrating women's advancement² during a two-week gathering³ in New York. As if to signify the strides women have made, the opening address was given by Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro.

Migiro attended previous meetings of the commission, in an earlier job as Tanzania's minister for gender⁴ and children. She later became the African nation's foreign minister before U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon asked her to be his deputy. That makes her the highest-ranking African woman ever to serve the world body.

Migiro says she and Secretary-General Ban are backing plans to combine all U.N. programs dealing⁵ with gender issues into one agency for greater efficiency.

"The Secretary-General and I agree wholeheartedly with the suggestion to replace several current structures with one dynamic U.N. entity⁶ focused on gender equality and women's empowerment," said Asha-Rose Migiro. "Such an entity should mobilize forces of change at the global level, and inspire enhanced results at country level."

Migiro says Secretary-General Ban is also hoping to achieve a 50-50 gender balance within the U.N. bureaucracy.

Among the delegates in the crowded conference hall for the opening session were nearly 200 girls who had come to plead their own cases. Among them was 17-year-old Qulinta Nepaul of South Africa, who urged the conference to listen to the voices of children themselves.

"Give us girls, boys and young people a chance to participate in making decisions on issues that affect us," said Qulinta Nepaul. "And we all strive for change that will improve the lives of all. It is time to listen to us and act upon it."

Nepaul unveiled for the conference the results of a survey and a series of focus groups done by teenagers about teen attitudes, entitled "It's time to listen to us."

"Key finding of the survey is that unwritten laws still hold incredible power," she said. "Many cultural practices are responsible for the violation⁷ of girls' rights. Young people identified the victimization of girls and the lack of awareness⁸ of their rights as the major cause of discrimination and violence."

Two recent U.N. studies suggest discrimination and violence against girls may be more widespread than previously⁹ thought.

The two-week conference in New York will culminate¹⁰ in observances of International Women's Day March 8.

1 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 advancement   

n.前进，促进，提升

参考例句：

• His new contribution to the advancement of physiology was well appreciated.他对生理学发展的新贡献获得高度赞赏。
• The aim of a university should be the advancement of learning.大学的目标应是促进学术。

3 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。

4 gender   

n.（生理上的）性，（名词、代词等的）性

参考例句：

• French differs from English in having gender for all nouns.法语不同于英语，所有的名词都有性。
• Women are sometimes denied opportunities solely because of their gender.妇女有时仅仅因为性别而无法获得种种机会。

5 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

6 entity   

n.实体，独立存在体，实际存在物

参考例句：

• The country is no longer one political entity.这个国家不再是一个统一的政治实体了。
• As a separate legal entity,the corporation must pay taxes.作为一个独立的法律实体，公司必须纳税。

7 violation   

n.违反(行为)，违背(行为)，侵犯

参考例句：

• He roared that was a violation of the rules.他大声说，那是违反规则的。
• He was fined 200 dollars for violation of traffic regulation.他因违反交通规则被罚款200美元。

8 awareness   

n.意识，觉悟，懂事，明智

参考例句：

• There is a general awareness that smoking is harmful.人们普遍认识到吸烟有害健康。
• Environmental awareness has increased over the years.这些年来人们的环境意识增强了。

9 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。

10 culminate   

v.到绝顶，达于极点，达到高潮

参考例句：

• The celebration of the centenary will culminate with a dinner.百年庆典活动将以宴会作为高潮。
• Everyone feared that the boundary dispute between these two countries would culminate in a war.人人都担心,这两国间的边境争端将以一场战争到达顶点。