VOA双语新闻---凯恩案引人关注美国性骚扰问题

　　While Republican party presidential hopeful Herman Cain continues to dismiss accusations 1 of sexual harassment 2 in his past, his uncertain political plight 3 has become a main focus of American media. Advocates say the issue is very important and also goes beyond just politics.

美国共和党总统参选人赫尔曼.凯恩一直否认对他的性骚扰指控，但他政治前景未卜已经成了美国媒体的报导焦点。关心性骚扰问题的人说，这个议题非常重要，是超越政治的问题。

Herman Cain is the latest in a long line of prominent U.S. politicians to face repeated accusations of sexual harassment.

赫尔曼.凯恩成了面临性骚扰指控的许多美国知名政治人物中最新的一人。

At least three women have accused the former pizza magnate of sexual harassment during the 1990s when he was the top lobbyist for the National Restaurant Association.

至少三名女性指控这位前比萨餐厅巨头在1990年代涉嫌性骚扰，当时他是全美餐饮协会的首席游说人士。

Former Democratic U.S. President and Arkansas governor Bill Clinton was for years the focus of a sexual harassment lawsuit 4 by former Arkansas state employee Paula Jones.

民主党籍的前美国总统、也是担任过阿肯色州长的克林顿因为前阿肯色州女职员琼斯控告他性骚扰而曾备受关注多年。

Former Florida Republican Congressman 5 Mark Foley resigned in 2006 after it was disclosed he was sending sexually explicit 6 emails and text messages to teenage interns 7.

At the National Women’s Law Center in Washington, Fatima Goss Graves says it is very important for voters to get clear records on politicians and any sexual harassment.

位于华盛顿的全国妇女法律中心的法提玛.格雷维斯说，选民去了解政治人物的性骚扰纪录是非常重要的。

She says the issue also goes much further. “I am interested in knowing what the reaction is to harassment, what employees are saying that they think they should be doing about harassment, what policy makers 8 are saying they should do about it. I do not think that that is where the conversation has been unfortunately,” said Graves.

她说，这个议题可以更深入地讨论。格雷维斯说：“我想知道大家对性骚扰的反应、雇员认为他们应该怎么应付性骚扰、政策制定者认为他们应该怎么应付性骚扰。但不幸的是，相关的对话一直没朝这个方向发展。”

Graves points to the hearings 20 years ago involving then Supreme 9 Court nominee 10, now Justice, Clarence Thomas who faced accusations of sexual harassment in the workplace from Anita Hill.

格雷维斯提到了20年前一场听证会，现任最高法院法官克莱伦斯.托马斯当时还是法官提名人，他被安妮塔.希尔指控职场性骚扰。

The hearings were immediately followed by nearly double the amount of usual sexual harassment charges and new laws against workplace discrimination.

就在听证会之后，性骚扰指控的数目几乎增加了一倍，另外还产生了新的法律对付职场歧视。

But advocates say these laws do not go far enough. Lisa Maatz from the American Association of University Women also says in difficult economic times, like now, victims are often afraid to come forward.

但拥护者说，这些法律并不够。美国大学妇女协会的丽沙.玛耶兹也说，像现在这样经济不好的时候，受害者经常很怕挺身而出。

“Right now, quite frankly 11, a lot of women are just happy to have jobs and so the notion that they would then speak up and potentially lose that job even though such retaliation 12 is illegal, it happens all the time, is a huge deal,” said Maatz.

玛耶兹说：“坦白说，现在很多妇女有工作就很高兴，所以他们挺身为自己说话是冒着丢饭碗的风险，即便公司将她们辞退的报复手法是非法的。这一直在发生，问题很严重。”

Her association also just finished a new report detailing sexual harassment and bullying 13 in U.S. schools which Maatz says has become an “epidemic”. The association is calling for education against harassment to begin at a very young age.

美国大学妇女协会才刚完成一份描述美国学校的性骚扰和霸凌的最新报告，玛耶兹说学校内的性骚扰和霸凌很“猖狂”。该协会呼吁对付性骚扰的教育应该从小就开始。

On the specific issue of Cain, the advocates say they hope his accusers, if they are identified, will not face what they call an onslaught of negative coverage 14 by the media as has been the case in previous high-profile sexual harassment cases.

就凯恩这个案子而言，拥护者说，如果指控凯恩的人已经被指认出来，希望他们不会面临媒体负面报导的轮番攻击。过去跟名人有关的性骚扰案都有这种情况。

Cain has repeatedly denied the accusations against him. Recent polls still place him near the top of the Republican field of presidential hopefuls, two months before the Republican nominating process for the 2012 U.S. presidential election begins.

凯恩一再否认对他性骚扰的指控。就在共和党2012年总统选举的提名过程开始前两个月，最近的民调显示，凯恩在全美共和党参选人中处于领先地位。