2007年VOA标准英语-Eritrea Bans Female Genital Mutilation

By Cathy Majtenyi
Nairobi
05 April 2007

The Eritrean government has banned the practice of female genital mutilation. Cathy Majtenyi reports for VOA from Nairobi.

Proclamation 158 went into force on the last day of March.

It mandates¹ jail terms or fines for those who not only perform female genital mutilation, but even those who provide tools for the procedure, ask for it to be done, or fail to report cases to the authorities.

Minister of Information Ali Abdu Ahmed explains to VOA why the ban was ordered.

"It is a very backward practice, which is supported neither in the Koran or in the Bible," he said. "We see it as a torture."

The government, in conjunction with the National Union of Eritrean Women, is also conducting a nationwide campaign to educate people about the negative effects of female genital mutilation.

The head of international relations at the National Union of Eritrean Women, Belainesh Seyoum, tells VOA her organization has been working with rural communities for years to educate them about the hazards of the procedure and the human rights issues involved.

Seyoum says her group will continue encouraging changes in attitude and behavior as a way to end the procedure.

"We will continue, because, you know, some people might say, 'do it hidden.' 'You cannot search houses.' We will conduct an intensive campaign on that," she said.

Female genital mutilation, which is common in parts of Africa and the Middle East, is traditionally viewed in these cultures as a rite² of passage into adulthood³, where a girl becomes a woman and is ready to marry and become a mother.

The procedure involves a partial or total removal of the external female genitalia or other injury to the female genital organs.

Proponents⁴ argue that the procedure discourages promiscuity⁵ and prepares girls for womanhood.

Information Minister Ali says he is confident the practice will soon be fully⁶ eradicated⁷ in his country.

"This is something that has come out through evolution and it will disappear and fade out through evolution," he said.

"This is something which was seen by so many parts of the society as tradition of the culture. To some extent, people were thinking it was religious obligation," he continued.

The World Health Organization lists many health hazards associated with female genital mutilation, including severe pain, shock, hemorrhage, urine retention⁸, and ulceration of the genital region that could lead to hemorrhaging and infection, sometimes causing death.

Psychologically, the World Health Organization says, women may also suffer feelings of incompleteness, anxiety, and depression.

1 mandates   

托管（mandate的第三人称单数形式）

参考例句：

• Individual mandates would require all people to purchase health insurance. 个人托管要求所有人都要购买健康保险。
• While I agree with those benefits, I'm not a supporter of mandates. 我同意上述好处，我不是授权软件的支持者。

2 rite   

n.典礼，惯例，习俗

参考例句：

• This festival descends from a religious rite.这个节日起源于宗教仪式。
• Most traditional societies have transition rites at puberty.大多数传统社会都为青春期的孩子举行成人礼。

3 adulthood   

n.成年，成人期

参考例句：

• Some infantile actions survive into adulthood.某些婴儿期的行为一直保持到成年期。
• Few people nowadays are able to maintain friendships into adulthood.如今很少有人能将友谊维持到成年。

4 proponents   

n.（某事业、理论等的）支持者，拥护者( proponent的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Reviewing courts were among the most active proponents of hybrid rulemaking procedures. 复审法院是最积极的混合型规则制定程序的建议者。 来自英汉非文学 - 行政法
• Proponents of such opinions were arrested as 'traitors. ' 提倡这种主张的人马上作为“卖国贼”逮捕起来。 来自辞典例句

5 promiscuity   

n.混杂，混乱；（男女的）乱交

参考例句：

• Promiscuity went unpunished, divorce was permitted. 乱交挨不着惩罚，离婚办得成手续。 来自英汉文学
• There is also no doubt that she falls into promiscuity at last. 同时无疑她最后也堕入性乱。 来自互联网

6 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

7 eradicated   

画着根的

参考例句：

• Polio has been virtually eradicated in Brazil. 在巴西脊髓灰质炎实际上已经根除。
• The disease has been eradicated from the world. 这种疾病已在全世界得到根除。

8 retention   

n.保留，保持，保持力，记忆力

参考例句：

• They advocate the retention of our nuclear power plants.他们主张保留我们的核电厂。
• His retention of energy at this hour is really surprising.人们惊叹他在这个时候还能保持如此旺盛的精力。