2006年VOA标准英语-UN Cites Slow Progress in Fight Against Fe

By Lisa Schlein
Geneva
06 February 2006

To mark the fourth-annual International Day of Zero Tolerance¹ of female genital mutilation, the U.N. Children's Fund is calling for stronger action to end a practice it says causes enormous physical and psychological damage to millions of girls. This practice mainly occurs in sub-Saharan Africa, Sudan, Somalia, and Egypt.

--------------------------------------------

UNICEF reports every year, three million girls in 28 countries on the African continent undergo female genital mutilation. It notes thousands of girls in immigrant communities in Europe, North America, and Australia also are subjected to this ordeal². Globally, it says between 100 million and 140 million girls and women have been cut or mutilated.

Despite some progress, UNICEF Spokesman Damien Personnaz says it is very difficult to stop female genital mutilation because it continues to have community support. Also, he says governments lack the political will to tackle this issue.

He says UNICEF has conducted surveys in African villages that show men usually are not the ones who insist on this tradition being carried out.

"It is mostly women's traditions which basically said 'I have gone through this practice and I would like my daughter', but mostly my grand-great daughter to do the same. It is not really also an issue on mothers because most of the mothers do not really welcome these practices to be done on their daughters," said Personnaz. "But, they are sometimes forced by communities and especially by their own mothers, their grandmothers and aunties to make sure that this practice is going on."

Contrary to common belief, he says there is no religious basis for female genital mutilation. It is an age-old tradition adhered to by many communities that consider it a prerequisite³ for marriage.

Most girls are cut between infancy⁴ and their 14th birthday. UNICEF statistics find on average, a girl or young woman is subjected every 15 seconds to genital mutilation, a practice that causes excruciating pain.

Personnaz say the consequences for girls and women are physically⁵ and psychologically devastating⁶.

"You can quickly die from an infection of this practice because most of the time it is not done properly," he added. "It is done with something taken from the bush and the knife is rusty⁷. So there is a very high risk that this girl can be infected. Then you have long-term psychological effects and it also is extremely painful for the girl."

UNICEF says it is important to have laws against female genital mutilation. But, prosecuting⁸ people who do the cutting only has a limited affect.

The U.N. children's agency says a more productive way to eliminate this practice is to raise awareness⁹ in the community about its harmfulness. It says it is crucial to enlist¹⁰ the support of traditional chiefs, religious leaders, and men to encourage communities to abandon this tradition.

UNICEF says these measures have achieved progress in countries such as Senegal, Egypt, and Sudan.

1 tolerance   

n.宽容；容忍，忍受；耐药力；公差

参考例句：

• Tolerance is one of his strengths.宽容是他的一个优点。
• Human beings have limited tolerance of noise.人类对噪音的忍耐力有限。

2 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。

3 prerequisite   

n.先决条件；adj.作为前提的，必备的

参考例句：

• Stability and unity are a prerequisite to the four modernizations.安定团结是实现四个现代化的前提。
• It is a prerequisite of entry to the profession that you pass the exams.做这一行的先决条件是要通过了有关的考试。

4 infancy   

n.婴儿期；幼年期；初期

参考例句：

• He came to England in his infancy.他幼年时期来到英国。
• Their research is only in its infancy.他们的研究处于初级阶段。

5 physically   

adj.物质上，体格上，身体上，按自然规律

参考例句：

• He was out of sorts physically,as well as disordered mentally.他浑身不舒服，心绪也很乱。
• Every time I think about it I feel physically sick.一想起那件事我就感到极恶心。

6 devastating   

adj.毁灭性的，令人震惊的，强有力的

参考例句：

• It is the most devastating storm in 20 years.这是20年来破坏性最大的风暴。
• Affairs do have a devastating effect on marriages.婚外情确实会对婚姻造成毁灭性的影响。

7 rusty   

adj.生锈的；锈色的；荒废了的

参考例句：

• The lock on the door is rusty and won't open.门上的锁锈住了。
• I haven't practiced my French for months and it's getting rusty.几个月不用，我的法语又荒疏了。

8 prosecuting   

检举、告发某人( prosecute的现在分词 )； 对某人提起公诉； 继续从事（某事物）； 担任控方律师

参考例句：

• The witness was cross-examined by the prosecuting counsel. 证人接受控方律师的盘问。
• Every point made by the prosecuting attorney was telling. 检查官提出的每一点都是有力的。

9 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。

10 enlist   

vt.谋取(支持等)，赢得；征募；vi.入伍

参考例句：

• They come here to enlist men for the army.他们来这儿是为了召兵。
• The conference will make further efforts to enlist the support of the international community for their just struggle. 会议必将进一步动员国际社会，支持他们的正义斗争。