2007年VOA标准英语-UNICEF Voices Concern about Sexual Violence in

By Lisa Schlein
Geneva
13 July 2007

The U.N. Children's Fund (UNICEF) says it is concerned about the large and growing number of children in Burundi who are victims of sexual violence.  UNICEF says few cases are ever prosecuted¹ and is calling for urgent reform of Burundi's judicial² system. Lisa Schlein has more for VOA from UNICEF headquarters in Geneva. 

A Burundian girl stands in a room at a street children center for girls in Bujumbura, Burundi, 27 August 2005

The U.N. Children's Fund reports that one of the worst legacies³ of 13 years of civil war in Burundi is the neglect and abuse of the youngest members of that society.  UNICEF says Burundi's children are often victims of rape⁴, made to work as prostitutes, or forced to serve in the army.

The UNICEF representative in Burundi, Bintou Keita, says since peace has come to the country in the last few years, there have been fewer cases of children being put in prison, because of their alleged⁵ links with rebel groups.  But she says sexual violence has increased.

"What we have is more and more reporting of cases of rape by people in uniforms against children and given the state of the justice system, it is not easy to perform the sanctions that are normally planned by the law," she said.  "So, it gives [people in uniform] a sense of a kind of impunity⁶." 

Keita says even victims who have the courage to report crimes rarely receive proper treatment from the justice system. 

She recalls visits she made last month to centers for gender-based violence in the provinces of Gitega and Muyinga.  She says that month 50 victims of sexual assault, more than a third of them children, had sought medical and psychological help. She says the centers also tried, with little success, to help the victims prepare their cases for trial.

"But only five went through and not with the result expected," she added.  "So, it gives a sense that, well, we cannot do much, but we can continue advocating and sensitizing.   But something very serious has to be done in helping⁷ the country deal with the justice system, the reforms of the justice system and the rule of law in Burundi." 

Keita says UNICEF's priorities in Burundi are protection and survival issues for women and children, and education.   She notes infant and maternal⁸ mortality rates are extremely high, in large part because of the country's extreme poverty.  More than half of Burundi's population, the UNICEF official says, lives on less than $1 a day.

1 prosecuted   

a.被起诉的

参考例句：

• The editors are being prosecuted for obscenity. 编辑因刊载污秽文字而被起诉。
• The company was prosecuted for breaching the Health and Safety Act. 这家公司被控违反《卫生安全条例》。

2 judicial   

adj.司法的，法庭的，审判的，明断的，公正的

参考例句：

• He is a man with a judicial mind.他是个公正的人。
• Tom takes judicial proceedings against his father.汤姆对他的父亲正式提出诉讼。

3 legacies   

n.遗产( legacy的名词复数 )；遗留之物；遗留问题；后遗症

参考例句：

• Books are the legacies that a great genius leaves to mankind. 书是伟大的天才留给人类的精神财富。 来自辞典例句
• General legacies are subject to the same principles as demonstrative legacies. 一般的遗赠要与指定数目的遗赠遵循同样的原则。 来自辞典例句

4 rape   

n.抢夺，掠夺，强奸；vt.掠夺，抢夺，强奸

参考例句：

• The rape of the countryside had a profound ravage on them.对乡村的掠夺给他们造成严重创伤。
• He was brought to court and charged with rape.他被带到法庭并被指控犯有强奸罪。

5 alleged   

a.被指控的，嫌疑的

参考例句：

• It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
• alleged irregularities in the election campaign 被指称竞选运动中的不正当行为

6 impunity   

n.(惩罚、损失、伤害等的)免除

参考例句：

• You will not escape with impunity.你不可能逃脱惩罚。
• The impunity what compulsory insurance sets does not include escapement.交强险规定的免责范围不包括逃逸。

7 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

8 maternal   

adj.母亲的，母亲般的，母系的，母方的

参考例句：

• He is my maternal uncle.他是我舅舅。
• The sight of the hopeless little boy aroused her maternal instincts.那个绝望的小男孩的模样唤起了她的母性。