VOA常速英语2007年-War Taking Its Toll on Iraqi Children

By Lisa Schlein
Geneva
23 December 2007

The U.N. Children's Fund says an estimated two-million children in Iraq are facing poor nutrition, disease and interrupted education. UNICEF says Iraqi children are paying too high a price for a war that was none of their doing. Lisa Schlein reports for VOA from Geneva.

The U.N. Children's Fund says children in Kurdistan in northern Iraq are thriving and the situation in southern Iraq has become more stable. It says security has improved in Baghdad and the surrounding areas since the so-called troop surge began in February.

But, UNICEF spokeswoman, Claire Hajaj, tells VOA Iraq is still a volatile¹ and dangerous place.

"Better security does not mean secure. And, the second thing is as we see communities begin to open up because of greater access, we are going to see the needs that may have been hidden for a long time," said Hajaj. "Iraq is going to need more help as security increases, not less because there are needs right now that are hidden because simply people cannot get there and the violence keeps them hidden."

UNICEF says Iraqi children frequently were caught in the crossfire² of conflict in 2007. It reports hundreds of children lost their lives or were injured by violence and many more had their main family wage earner kidnapped or killed.

More than one million people are displaced in Iraq. About one half of them are children. UNICEF says an average of 25,000 children a month are displaced by violence or intimidation³. By the end of this year, it says about 75,000 children were living in camps or temporary shelters.

Hajaj says a psychological assessment⁴ conducted earlier this year in Baghdad gives some indication as to the toll⁵ war is having on children.

"It came back saying that a third of the children in Baghdad were showing the signs that any parent would recognize as distress⁶ - bed wetting, anxiety, acting⁷ out violence, difficulty concentrating at school," added Hajaj. "And, we hear from parents and from teachers that children are often feeling the strains more and more. And, their poor parents often are, themselves, so stressed they find it hard to give the help that is needed."

Hajaj says organizations like UNICEF are trying hard to bring a touch of normality back into these children's lives. She says restoring a school, creating a playground, providing a good water supply are some activities that show families they are not forgotten. It shows them some kind of lifeline is available to them.

Hajaj says Iraq has one of the highest maternal⁸ mortality rates in the world. And, one-fifth of children under five are stunted⁹. She says this means the children have not been getting the food and nutrition they need to grow as they should.

UNICEF says it is easier now to deliver aid. It says it has received only $40 million towards its $144 million appeal for Iraq this year. The children's agency urges donors¹⁰ to provide more money to enable its staff to reach the most vulnerable with badly needed assistance.

1 volatile   

adj.反复无常的，挥发性的，稍纵即逝的，脾气火爆的；n.挥发性物质

参考例句：

• With the markets being so volatile,investments are at great risk.由于市场那么变化不定，投资冒着很大的风险。
• His character was weak and volatile.他这个人意志薄弱，喜怒无常。

2 crossfire   

n.被卷进争端

参考例句：

• They say they are caught in the crossfire between the education establishment and the government.他们称自己被卷进了教育机构与政府之间的争端。
• When two industrial giants clash,small companies can get caught in the crossfire.两大工业企业争斗之下，小公司遭受池鱼之殃。

3 intimidation   

n.恐吓，威胁

参考例句：

• The Opposition alleged voter intimidation by the army.反对党声称投票者受到军方的恐吓。
• The gang silenced witnesses by intimidation.恶帮用恐吓的手段使得证人不敢说话。

4 assessment   

n.评价；评估；对财产的估价，被估定的金额

参考例句：

• This is a very perceptive assessment of the situation.这是一个对该情况的极富洞察力的评价。
• What is your assessment of the situation?你对时局的看法如何？

5 toll   

n.过路(桥)费；损失，伤亡人数；v.敲(钟)

参考例句：

• The hailstone took a heavy toll of the crops in our village last night.昨晚那场冰雹损坏了我们村的庄稼。
• The war took a heavy toll of human life.这次战争夺去了许多人的生命。

6 distress   

n.苦恼，痛苦，不舒适；不幸；vt.使悲痛

参考例句：

• Nothing could alleviate his distress.什么都不能减轻他的痛苦。
• Please don't distress yourself.请你不要忧愁了。

7 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

8 maternal   

adj.母亲的，母亲般的，母系的，母方的

参考例句：

• He is my maternal uncle.他是我舅舅。
• The sight of the hopeless little boy aroused her maternal instincts.那个绝望的小男孩的模样唤起了她的母性。

9 stunted   

adj.矮小的；发育迟缓的

参考例句：

• the stunted lives of children deprived of education 未受教育的孩子所过的局限生活
• But the landed oligarchy had stunted the country's democratic development for generations. 但是好几代以来土地寡头的统治阻碍了这个国家民主的发展。

10 donors   

n.捐赠者( donor的名词复数 )；献血者；捐血者；器官捐献者

参考例句：

• Please email us to be removed from our active list of blood donors. 假如你想把自己的名字从献血联系人名单中删去，请给我们发电子邮件。
• About half this amount comes from individual donors and bequests. 这笔钱大约有一半来自个人捐赠及遗赠。 来自《简明英汉词典》