美国国家公共电台 NPR For Native Americans Facing Sexual Assault, Justice Feels Out Of Reach

 

 

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

Let's hear what Native Americans think of the justice system. People in minority groups often perceive the justice system differently than others. And many statistics indicate minorities are targeted more often. A poll from NPR, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health offers a striking number.

In a survey of Native Americans living in majority native areas, half said they or a family member have been treated unfairly by the courts. You feel that sentiment when you visit the Wind River Reservation, as Wyoming Public Radio's Melodie Edwards did.

MELODIE EDWARDS, BYLINE¹: One morning earlier this year, Northern Arapaho member Rose was sitting at the table with her 14-year-old daughter Latoya.

ROSE: I told her to move her hair because she had her hair like this.

EDWARDS: Latoya hid her neck and cheek by pulling her hair in front.

ROSE: 'Cause I noticed something and she went like that. And she had marks, hickeys, completely covering her - almost even on her face.

EDWARDS: That's when Latoya told her mother that she had been forcibly kissed by a woman from another reservation who was six years older. Because they're afraid of retaliation², they asked that we use only their middle names.

ROSE: At that moment, I saw me and her and there was just nothing I could do for her except let her know that it's not her fault. It's ok, I'll protect you.

EDWARDS: Protect her because when Rose herself was 6, she too was molested³ by an older girl. Studies show that 1 in 3 Native American women are sexually assaulted in their life. But Rose wanted to stop that cycle. According to the NPR poll, 36 percent of Native Americans living in majority native areas say they avoid calling the police because of a fear of discrimination.

So Rose called tribal⁴ police, but they referred her to the FBI, since her tribe isn't qualified⁵ to handle felonies. But after an investigation⁶, federal prosecutor⁷ Kerry Jacobson declined to pursue Latoya's case. Like most assaults, the case rested solely⁸ on the victim's testimony⁹.

KERRY JACOBSON: The only allegations involve the subject touching¹⁰ the minor's lips, neck and upper chest and the knee and those areas do not fall within the definition of sexual contact.

EDWARDS: Jacobson says she recognizes that testifying against a perpetrator can be traumatic, and that's why she leaves cases like this one open as long as possible in case a victim wants to tell more later. But she says it's much harder to get convictions later.

JACOBSON: When a victim gets to a place where he or she feels safe enough and emotionally stable enough to divulge¹¹ what happened, we have no scientific evidence left. Those are very challenging.

EDWARDS: Jacobson did not interview the alleged¹² perpetrator or any witnesses. In fact, a recent Department of Justice report shows that federal courts decline to prosecute¹³ 67 percent of reservation sexual assault cases. And since Latoya's case was dropped, the tribal police have taken over. But unlike the feds, they moved forward, issuing a warrant for the subject's arrest.

The problem is the tribal court can only issue misdemeanors, less than a year in jail. Leslie Shakespeare is a councilman for the Eastern Shoshone, the other tribe on Wind River. He wants to use the recently passed federal legislation called the Tribal Law and Order Act to do more. That law grants tribes the power to give stiffer sentences and do it faster.

LESLIE SHAKESPEARE: The wait is what really disenfranchises people. So when you they see that process happening quicker, which doesn't always happen on the federal side, they feel like justice is actually working.

EDWARDS: Shakespeare says the new law's motivating the two Wind River tribes to work together to create a stronger, unified¹⁴ court. Rose hopes that means her daughter Latoya's alleged assailant will finally face real justice.

ROSE: That's the whole thing. She's somewhere. And she's probably somewhere doing this to another 14-year-old.

EDWARDS: The new court is scheduled to be up and running by next year. For NPR News, I'm Melodie Edwards on the Wind River Reservation in Wyoming.

1 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

2 retaliation   

n.报复，反击

参考例句：

• retaliation against UN workers 对联合国工作人员的报复
• He never said a single word in retaliation. 他从未说过一句反击的话。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 molested   

v.骚扰( molest的过去式和过去分词 )；干扰；调戏；猥亵

参考例句：

• The bigger children in the neighborhood molested the younger ones. 邻居家的大孩子欺负小孩子。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He molested children and was sent to jail. 他猥亵儿童，进了监狱。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 tribal   

adj.部族的，种族的

参考例句：

• He became skilled in several tribal lingoes.他精通几种部族的语言。
• The country was torn apart by fierce tribal hostilities.那个国家被部落间的激烈冲突弄得四分五裂。

5 qualified   

adj.合格的，有资格的，胜任的，有限制的

参考例句：

• He is qualified as a complete man of letters.他有资格当真正的文学家。
• We must note that we still lack qualified specialists.我们必须看到我们还缺乏有资质的专家。

6 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

7 prosecutor   

n.起诉人；检察官，公诉人

参考例句：

• The defender argued down the prosecutor at the court.辩护人在法庭上驳倒了起诉人。
• The prosecutor would tear your testimony to pieces.检查官会把你的证言驳得体无完肤。

8 solely   

adv.仅仅，唯一地

参考例句：

• Success should not be measured solely by educational achievement.成功与否不应只用学业成绩来衡量。
• The town depends almost solely on the tourist trade.这座城市几乎完全靠旅游业维持。

9 testimony   

n.证词；见证，证明

参考例句：

• The testimony given by him is dubious.他所作的证据是可疑的。
• He was called in to bear testimony to what the police officer said.他被传入为警官所说的话作证。

10 touching   

adj.动人的，使人感伤的

参考例句：

• It was a touching sight.这是一幅动人的景象。
• His letter was touching.他的信很感人。

11 divulge   

v.泄漏(秘密等)；宣布，公布

参考例句：

• They refused to divulge where they had hidden the money.他们拒绝说出他们把钱藏在什么地方。
• He swore never to divulge the secret.他立誓决不泄露秘密。

12 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

13 prosecute   

vt.告发；进行；vi.告发，起诉，作检察官

参考例句：

• I am trying my best to prosecute my duties.我正在尽力履行我的职责。
• Is there enough evidence to prosecute?有没有起诉的足够证据？

14 unified   

(unify 的过去式和过去分词)； 统一的； 统一标准的； 一元化的

参考例句：

• The teacher unified the answer of her pupil with hers. 老师核对了学生的答案。
• The First Emperor of Qin unified China in 221 B.C. 秦始皇于公元前221年统一中国。