2007年VOA标准英语-Eritrea Bans Female Genital Mutilation
时间：2019-02-06 作者：英语课 分类：2007年VOA标准英语（四月）
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 mandates 1 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 rite 2 of passage into adulthood 3, 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.
Proponents 4 argue that the procedure discourages promiscuity 5 and prepares girls for womanhood.
Information Minister Ali says he is confident the practice will soon be fully 6 eradicated 7 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 retention 8, 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.
- 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。
- 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。
- 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。
- 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
- 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
- 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。
- 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。