肯尼亚未遏制人口贩卖或面临美国制裁

Kenya Risks US Sanctions for Failing to Stem Human Trafficking

NAIROBI, KENYA—

Kenya risks being subjected to U.S. sanctions for failing to comply with the minimum standards of the Trafficking Victims Protection Acts (TVPA).

Twenty-seven-year-old "Ruby¹" — not her real name — listens attentively² during an awareness³ seminar on human trafficking. Ruby was a victim of human trafficking, an ordeal⁴ that lasted just over a year.

Last year she registered with an agency that promised her work in Libya as a caregiver to the elderly. Being her family's sole breadwinner, she hoped to send part of her income back home to take care of her mother and siblings⁵. When she reached Tripoli, however, her passport was confiscated⁶ and she later was subjected to both physical and sexual abuse.

Teaching skills

The session she’s attending is a seminar in which trafficking victims are taught business skills. Ruby said a lot needs to be done to bring human trafficking to an end.

“Most people are supposed to be educated about human trafficking so that they get awareness and they get to know what happens, and creating help opportunities mostly in Kenya," she said. "Because lack of jobs is what tends to give people ideas to get those outside jobs."

Ruby is one of 200 victims rescued by Awareness Against Human Trafficking (HAART) an organization formed four years ago to combat human trafficking in Kenya.

For the past three years Kenya has been on the U.S. State Department’s Tier 2 watch list for failing to seriously tackle the problem. Three years ago Kenya enacted⁷ its Counter-Trafficking in Persons Act. The law has had little impact, though, on curbing⁸ human trafficking.

Entrenched⁹ problem

The CRADLE, a children's protective foundation, reports there have been very few successful prosecutions¹⁰ because of the high threshold of evidence required to obtain a conviction.

Sophie Otiendo, a project consultant¹¹ at HAART, is moderating the business training session. Seventeen years ago, Otiendo was herself a victim of human trafficking. She has since recovered from the trauma¹², and she uses her experience to encourage and empower those in similar situations. She said greed is what fuels this global scourge¹³.

“So long as we want to get things cheap, there’s always going to be trafficking. There was slavery and now there’s trafficking because we need different things, and we have to find a way to make to get them in the cheapest possible way and that trafficking is the fuel,” said Otiendo.

The International Labor¹⁴ Organization says Human trafficking is the second largest source of illegal income worldwide, exceeded only by drug trafficking. And according to UNICEF, 1.2 million children are trafficked every year.

1 ruby   

n.红宝石，红宝石色

参考例句：

• She is wearing a small ruby earring.她戴着一枚红宝石小耳环。
• On the handle of his sword sat the biggest ruby in the world.他的剑柄上镶有一颗世上最大的红宝石。

2 attentively   

adv.聚精会神地；周到地；谛；凝神

参考例句：

• She listened attentively while I poured out my problems. 我倾吐心中的烦恼时，她一直在注意听。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• She listened attentively and set down every word he said. 她专心听着，把他说的话一字不漏地记下来。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 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。

4 ordeal   

n.苦难经历，（尤指对品格、耐力的）严峻考验

参考例句：

• She managed to keep her sanity throughout the ordeal.在那场磨难中她始终保持神志正常。
• Being lost in the wilderness for a week was an ordeal for me.在荒野里迷路一星期对我来说真是一场磨难。

5 siblings   

n.兄弟，姐妹( sibling的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• A triplet sleeps amongst its two siblings. 一个三胞胎睡在其两个同胞之间。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• She has no way of tracking the donor or her half-siblings down. 她没办法找到那个捐精者或她的兄弟姐妹。 来自时文部分

6 confiscated   

没收，充公( confiscate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Their land was confiscated after the war. 他们的土地在战后被没收。
• The customs officer confiscated the smuggled goods. 海关官员没收了走私品。

7 enacted   

制定（法律），通过（法案）( enact的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• legislation enacted by parliament 由议会通过的法律
• Outside in the little lobby another scene was begin enacted. 外面的小休息室里又是另一番景象。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹

8 curbing   

n.边石，边石的材料v.限制，克制，抑制( curb的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Progress has been made in curbing inflation. 在控制通货膨胀方面已取得了进展。
• A range of policies have been introduced aimed at curbing inflation. 为了抑制通货膨胀实施了一系列的政策。

9 entrenched   

adj.确立的，不容易改的(风俗习惯)

参考例句：

• Television seems to be firmly entrenched as the number one medium for national advertising.电视看来要在全国广告媒介中牢固地占据头等位置。
• If the enemy dares to attack us in these entrenched positions,we will make short work of them.如果敌人胆敢进攻我们固守的阵地，我们就消灭他们。

10 prosecutions   

起诉( prosecution的名词复数 )； 原告； 实施； 从事

参考例句：

• It is the duty of the Attorney-General to institute prosecutions. 检察总长负责提起公诉。
• Since World War II, the government has been active in its antitrust prosecutions. 第二次世界大战以来，政府积极地进行着反对托拉斯的检举活动。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件

11 consultant   

n.顾问；会诊医师，专科医生

参考例句：

• He is a consultant on law affairs to the mayor.他是市长的一个法律顾问。
• Originally,Gar had agreed to come up as a consultant.原来，加尔只答应来充当我们的顾问。

12 trauma   

n.外伤，精神创伤

参考例句：

• Counselling is helping him work through this trauma.心理辅导正帮助他面对痛苦。
• The phobia may have its root in a childhood trauma.恐惧症可能源于童年时期的创伤。

13 scourge   

n.灾难，祸害；v.蹂躏

参考例句：

• Smallpox was once the scourge of the world.天花曾是世界的大患。
• The new boss was the scourge of the inefficient.新老板来了以后，不称职的人就遭殃了。

14 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。