VOA常速英语2015--研究表明巴基斯坦未成年婚姻中女性高于男性（在线收听）

Study: Underage Marriage Higher for Females Than Males in Pakistan 研究表明巴基斯坦未成年婚姻中女性高于男性

ISLAMABAD— Raeena was 14-years-old when she was married to a man 21 years her senior.

蕾亚娜14岁时就嫁给了一个比自己年长21岁的男人。

She moved in with her husband’s family with little idea of what a marriage means or what was expected of her.

随后在一点不了解婚姻意义及自己所期望生活的情况下她进入到丈夫的大家庭中。

In a society where a family’s honor is often linked to female sexuality, her mother felt pressured to marry her off early.

在这个社会,一个家庭的名誉往往同女性性行为联系起来,她的母亲对自己将年纪轻轻女儿嫁出去的决定倍感压力。

“I was worried about my honor," she said. "It was not her age to be married, but I was worried about her father’s honor as well. That is why I got her married off.”

“我很担心我的名誉。她还没有达到适婚年龄,但是我也担心她父亲的名誉。这就是为什么我让她结婚的原因。”

Raeena's case isn't unique. Each year, hundreds of thousands of girls across the country are married before they are physically or psychologically prepared for it.

蕾亚娜这样的情况绝非个例。这个国家每年有成百上千名女孩都在生理或心理上未做好准备前就步入了婚姻殿堂。

While child marriage is an issue for both sexes, a recent study by the child advocacy group Plan International suggests females in Pakistan marry at a significantly younger age than males, sometimes as early as their first menstrual cycle.

虽然童婚问题男女双方都很严重,但最近儿童倡导组织国际计划署的一项研究显示巴基斯坦女性结婚的年龄比男性更小,有时候早至她们的第一个生理期。

Accurately assessing the number of underage brides or grooms is difficult in a country where birth records are often manipulated, but UNICEF estimates some 21 percent of all marriages involve a person under the age of 18.

该组织表示在一个出生记录受政府操纵的国家很难准确评估未成年新娘或新郎的数量,但联合国儿童基金会估算约21%的婚姻中涉及一名18岁以下的人。

Local activists insist the true figure — especially for girls in rural areas — is as high as 60 or 70 percent.

当地活动人士坚称尤其是农村地区的女孩在内的真实数字高达60-70%。

Lack of awareness blamed 

Activists blame the practice on a lack of awareness, poverty and perceptions about a female’s role in society: sons are considered potential wage earners while daughters are considered financial burdens.

活动人士指责这种做法没有认知,而且是由于贫穷及缺乏女性在社会中所扮演的角色所致:男孩被认为是潜在的工薪阶层,而女孩则被认为是财政负担。

That little thought is given to early marriages, they say, can create problems down the road.

他们表示这样的理念被灌输至早婚当中可能产生问题。

“Often the girl, the mother, dies during child birth," Naseem Akhtar of the Child Protection Unit in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province told VOA. "The poor thing is often herself only 13 or 14 years old and not capable of becoming a mother. Then dealing with the mother-in-law, the sister-in-law, the extended family system. She is not capable of handling all of this.”

“女孩当了母亲后通常会在分娩时死亡。问题在于女孩只有13，14岁,却不能成为母亲。然后就要周旋于婆婆,嫂子及整个大家庭间。她不能够自由应付所有这一切。”

Awareness campaigns by the government and non-government organizations have helped, but child rights advocates say real long term change is not possible without easier access to education and employment for girls.

由政府及非政府组织的宣传活动已经起到作用,但儿童权利倡导者表示只有通过女孩接受教育及让她们就业才能带来真正彻底的改变。