89 联合国难民署声称世界给难民提供的保护力度日渐减弱

89 联合国难民署声称世界给难民提供的保护力度日渐减弱

UNHCR: Refugee Protection on the Decline
Lisa Schlein
Geneva
29 Jun 2001 19:55 UTC

The United Nations 1)refugee agency (UNHCR) says refugee protection is on the decline as countries harden their positions towards 2)asylum 1 seekers.
Representatives from about 60 governments and more than 40 3)private organizations spent two days discussing measures which might more effectively protect refugees while still protecting national borders from illegal migrants.
The U.N. refugee agency says countries increasingly are struggling with ways to reconcile proper and effective protection for refugees with measures to control 4)illegal 5)migration 2.
UNHCR's director of international protection, Erika Feller, says more and more countries are closing their borders to genuine asylum seekers because they are afraid of being overwhelmed by illegal migrants. As a 6)consequence, she says there has been a decline in the political will to protect refugees and to allow them access to proper 7)procedures to apply for asylum.
Ms. Feller says countries do have some 8)genuine concerns. "They include the high cost of asylum systems, particularly in the developed world, which are very, very expensive," she said. They include the 9)protracted nature of a lot of refugee problems today that just keep legal people 10)languishing in asylum countries without a solution for years and years and years, with all the difficulties that come with that, including problems for women and children growing up in refugee camps - women being exposed to sexual violence, having even to sell their children for the purposes of making ends meet."
Ms. Feller says governments are resisting the financial, security, and political costs of hosting refugees. She says anti-foreigner 11)sentiment is common throughout the world. And she says many countries are finding it increasingly difficult to deal with floods of refugees.
Ms. Feller says countries all over the world share the problems regarding legal and illegal migration, trafficking, and 12)smuggling of human beings. "There is irregular migration all over the world, not just coming to Europe, but coming to the developing countries as well as the developed countries," she noted 3. "I think it is important to understand this as well. There are obstacles being erected 4 in the laws, the judicial 5 process of countries, not just in the developed countries but also in the developing world now. Bad practices are being exported all over the world."
Ms. Feller says gatherings 6 such as the one this past week in Geneva help to promote a better understanding of the issues involved 13)with an eye to improving refugee protection.

(1) refugee[refjJ:5dVi:]n.难民, 流亡者
(2) asylum[E5saIlEm]n.庇护, 收容所, 救济院
(3) private[5praIvIt]adj.私人的, 私有的, 私营的
(4) illegal[I5li:^(E)l]adj.违法的, 不合规定的
(5) migration[maI5^reIF(E)n]n.移民, 移植
(6) consequence[5kRnsIkwEns; (?@) 5kRnsIkwens]n.结果
(7) procedure[prE5si:dVE(r)]n.程序, 手续
(8) genuine[5dVenju:In]adj.真实的, 真正的, 诚恳的
(9) protracted[prEJ`trAktId]adj.拖延的
(10) languishing[`lAN^wIFIN]adj.日趋衰弱的,渴望的
(11) sentiment[5sentImEnt]n.情操, 情感, 情绪, 观点
(12) smuggling v.走私
(13) with an eye to adv.着眼于, 考虑到, 对...有企图