VOA标准英语2012--Indian Girls Rise Up Against Child Marriage
时间：2019-01-14 作者：英语课 分类：VOA标准英语2012年(十月)
Indian Girls Rise Up Against Child Marriage
Bitika Das is concentrating on her school work. The 16-year-old girl from a small village in West Bengal state knows this opportunity to study is one that was nearly lost two years ago when her parents arranged her marriage to a young man.
“If I got married then, my education would have stopped at ninth grade. I could have achieved nothing in the future with an incomplete education. In my husband’s family, I was not going to get good respect,” she said.
Foundation fights back
After her parents' refusal to cancel the marriage arrangement, Bitika contacted the Murshidabad office of the Childline India Foundation. The group runs a 24-hour hotline, providing counseling and other help to children in crisis.
Childline activist 1 Debika Ghoshal led the team that helped stall the marriage of then-14-year-old Bitika. The group works with local police to lodge 2 criminal complaints against parents who do not comply with the law banning child marriage. Activists 3 then focus on ensuring that a young girl is able to continue with her education.
“The girls say they want to study further. They are closer to the media and they know that society - the world - is marching ahead; everyone is advancing," said Ghoshal. "So, they, too, want to move ahead. But mostly because of poverty and partly for some other social reasons the parents want to marry them [their daughters] off in their childhood.”
Money a factor
By marrying off their young daughters, poor families can reduce their financial burden and, in some cases, avoid paying a higher dowry to the child's potential in-laws.
Murshidabad resident Amena Begum had hoped to marry off her 14-year-old daughter, but the marriage was thwarted 4 by activists and her daughter returned to school.
“Where shall I get a suitable groom 5 for her if I don’t marry her off right now, and let her study further, and finally she turns 25?” asked Begum.
The United Nations already has raised awareness 6 of the consequences of child marriage in India, citing the higher drop-out rates of child brides and their greater risk of being physically 7 and sexually abused.
But the effect can be more grave. UNICEF says girls between the ages of 15 and 19 are more likely to experience delivery complications during childbirth and that neonatal, infant and child mortality rates are much higher for young mothers.
For now, young girls like Bitika are being spared this fate as they rise up against a centuries-old practice.
"I know when I marry in the future I will go to a good family, and because of my strength and job I will get respect there. They will not be able to neglect me," said Bitika.
This teenager has finished at the top of her class and has been recognized by the president for her courage. She now has a different vision of her future - one that involves becoming a school teacher.
- He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
- He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。
- Is there anywhere that I can lodge in the village tonight?村里有我今晚过夜的地方吗？
- I shall lodge at the inn for two nights.我要在这家小店住两个晚上。
- His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
- Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- The guards thwarted his attempt to escape from prison. 警卫阻扰了他越狱的企图。
- Our plans for a picnic were thwarted by the rain. 我们的野餐计划因雨受挫。
- His father was a groom.他父亲曾是个马夫。
- George was already being groomed for the top job.为承担这份高级工作，乔治已在接受专门的培训。
- 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。
- 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。