美国国家公共电台 NPR Why Child Marriage Persists In Mexico

Why Child Marriage Persists¹ In Mexico

ARI SHAPIRO, HOST:

The world has made huge strides² in ending child marriage over the past few decades. Back in the 1980s, 1 of every 3 young women were married as teenagers worldwide. Today, it's fewer than 1 in 4. But in some places, the fight against child marriage has stagnated³, like Mexico. James Fredrick has this report from the southern state of Oaxaca.

JAMES FREDRICK, BYLINE⁴: In this stuffy⁵, two-room community center, a dozen or so young women sit around a big table swatting away pesky gnats⁶. They're shy at first but quickly loosen⁷ up. Twenty-one-year-old Yolanda is single and feels pressured.

YOLANDA: (Speaking Spanish).

FREDRICK: She says, "people will come up to me in the street and ask how old I am and then tell me I'm getting old. They'll say right to my face, don't you think you're being left behind?" These women are a mix of tutors and students in an education program in their town of Coatecas Altas, which helps young women finish primary and secondary school online. Getting an education is a huge challenge for young women here.

CELESTINA: (Speaking Spanish).

FREDRICK: Celestina says their community makes them feel like women aren't meant to study but rather raise kids. There's this idea that you'll get married, so there's no reason to study. Dropping out of school for marriage is common by the time girls are 14 but happens as young as 11 or 12 here.

GRACIELA GARCIA: (Speaking Spanish).

FREDRICK: For Graciela Garcia, it happened at 15. She'd been friends with Jaime in school. But when things progressed, dating wasn't an option.

GARCIA: (Through interpreter) It was a big commitment because my father was very possessive and angry. I don't even know how it happened. But Jaime said to me, why don't we get together, get married? I don't know how he persuaded me, but I accepted.

FREDRICK: Unlike the rest of the world, child marriage rates have barely⁸ fallen in Mexico in the last 30 years. That means, today, nearly 1 in 5 girls marry before they turn 18. Marrying young, they're more likely to be poor, less educated and suffer domestic⁹ violence. And like most young women here, Graciela never legally married. Instead, she entered an informal civil union, a very common practice here, says Ivonne Piedras from Save the Children Mexico.

IVONNE PIEDRAS: Basically, informal unions are the same of marriage. You have the same responsibilities and the same obligation¹⁰ as you were married, but you don't have the official paper.

FREDRICK: Since child marriage has been banned since 2014, this informality is what drives child marriage in Mexico today. And it keeps it off official radar¹¹, says Ana Guezmes, the Mexico representative for UN Women.

ANA GUEZMES: (Speaking Spanish).

FREDRICK: She says, "few politicians in Mexico have any idea it's a problem. I'm not talking about the average citizen. I'm talking about policymakers who didn't have any idea. Even in cosmopolitan¹² Mexico City, 13 percent of girls marry before turning 18."

Back at Graciela's home, she's making lunch for the family. Like most married young women, she had to move in with her in-laws and now handles most household chores.

GARCIA: (Through interpreter) I make tortillas. Then I come make the breakfast, then do the dishes, then sweep, then wash the clothes. I barely have a moment to sit down.

UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: (Speaking Spanish).

GARCIA: (Speaking Spanish).

FREDRICK: And life is lonely. Her husband Jaime is in the U.S. on a seasonal¹³ work visa, and she takes care of their 2-year-old son alone.

UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: (Crying, speaking Spanish).

FREDRICK: Graciela dreams of going to medical school, becoming a doctor. But at 19, she sees that dream slipping away.

GARCIA: (Through interpreter) I worry. I'm getting older, but I'm not studying anymore. It's basically impossible for me to do that now.

FREDRICK: For NPR News, I'm James Fredrick in Coatecas Altas, Mexico.

1 persists   

坚持( persist的第三人称单数 )； 维持； 保持； 持续存在

参考例句：

• On the tops of very high mountains snow persists throughout the year. 高山顶上，积雪终年不化。
• The tendency still persists. 这种倾向一直存在。

2 strides   

裤子； 大步( stride的名词复数 )； 步法； 步态； 进展

参考例句：

• The child could not keep up with his father's strides. 那个孩子跟不上他父亲的步子。
• That 70-year-old man walked into the park with vigorous strides. 那位七旬老人健步走进公园。

3 stagnated   

v.停滞，不流动，不发展( stagnate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The balloting had stagnated, he couldn't win. 投票工作陷于停顿，他不能得胜。 来自辞典例句
• His mind has stagnated since his retirement. 他退休后头脑迟钝了。 来自辞典例句

4 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。

5 stuffy   

adj.不透气的，闷热的

参考例句：

• It's really hot and stuffy in here.这里实在太热太闷了。
• It was so stuffy in the tent that we could sense the air was heavy with moisture.帐篷里很闷热，我们感到空气都是潮的。

6 gnats   

n.叮人小虫( gnat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• He decided that he might fire at all gnats. 他决定索性把鸡毛蒜皮都摊出来。 来自辞典例句
• The air seemed to grow thick with fine white gnats. 空气似乎由于许多白色的小虫子而变得浑浊不堪。 来自辞典例句

7 loosen   

vt.放松，松开，解除（便秘等），放宽；vi.变松，松弛

参考例句：

• I must take some exercise and loosen up my muscles.我必须活动活动使肌肉放松些。
• The medicine may loosen your cough.这种药能减轻你的咳嗽。

8 barely   

adv.仅仅，几乎没有，几乎不

参考例句：

• The male bird is barely distinguishable from the female.雄鸟和雌鸟几乎无法辨别。
• He took barely enough money to keep the children in bread.他赚很少的钱仅够孩子们勉强糊口。

9 domestic   

adj.家里的，国内的，本国的；n.家仆，佣人

参考例句：

• This is domestic news.这是国内新闻。
• She does the domestic affairs every day.她每天都忙家务。

10 obligation   

n.（法律、道德上的）义务，责任

参考例句：

• Every player is under an obligation to keep the rules.每个选手都必须遵守这些规则。
• It is the obligation of citizens to perform military service.服兵役是每个公民的义务。

11 radar   

n.雷达，无线电探测器

参考例句：

• They are following the flight of an aircraft by radar.他们正在用雷达追踪一架飞机的飞行。
• Enemy ships were detected on the radar.敌舰的影像已显现在雷达上。

12 cosmopolitan   

adj.世界性的，全世界的，四海为家的，全球的

参考例句：

• New York is a highly cosmopolitan city.纽约是一个高度世界性的城市。
• She has a very cosmopolitan outlook on life.她有四海一家的人生观。

13 seasonal   

adj.季节的，季节性的

参考例句：

• The town relies on the seasonal tourist industry for jobs.这个城镇依靠季节性旅游业提供就业机会。
• The hors d'oeuvre is seasonal vegetables.餐前小吃是应时蔬菜。