原标题:联合国:全球15亿儿童受新冠疫情冲击
联合国秘书长安东尼奥·古特雷斯刚刚发布了有关新冠病毒疫情对儿童影响的政策通报。他在致辞中表示,新冠肺炎大流行已经导致社会中最贫困和脆弱的群体受到最严重的影响。因此,他对全球儿童的福祉表示尤为关切。
双语版原文如下
新冠病毒肺炎大流行正在全球蔓延,我们看到了一个令人担忧的模式。无论是大流行病还是应对措施,社会中最贫困、最脆弱的成员受到的打击最为沉重。
As the COVID-19 pandemic spreads across the globe, we are seeing an alarming pattern。The poorest and most vulnerable members of societyare being hardest hit, both by the pandemic and the response。
我特别关心的是世界儿童的福祉。令人欣慰的是,截至目前儿童基本上没有出现疾病最严重的症状。但是,他们的生活已经被完全改变。
I am especially concerned about the well-being of the world’s children。Thankfully, children have so far been largely spared from the most severe symptoms of the disease。But their lives are being totally upended。
儿基会图片|黎巴嫩贝鲁特一家初级卫生保健中心,护士在疫情期间为一名女孩测量体温
我呼吁世界各地的家庭和各级领袖——保护我们的儿童。今天我们发布一份报告,就是要强调儿童面临的风险。
I appeal to families everywhere, and leaders at all levels: protect our children。Today we are launching a reportthat highlights the risks they face。
首先,教育。几乎所有的学生现在都无法上学,一些学校能够提供远程教学,但并非所有人都能远程学习。在互联网速度慢、费用高的国家,儿童的处境极为不利。
First, education。Almost all students are now out of school。Some schools are offering distance learning,but this is not available to all。Children in countries with slow and expensive Internet services are severely disadvantaged。
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第二,食物。数字十分惊人——有3.1亿学龄儿童,几乎是世界总数的一半——每天靠学校提供营养。即使在新冠肺炎疫情暴发之前,世界儿童的营养不良和发育迟缓率就已经是无法接受的。
Second, food。A staggering310 million schoolchildren– nearly half of the world’s total– rely on school for a regular source of daily nutrition。Even before Covid-19 the world faced unacceptable rates of childhood malnutrition and stunting。
第三,安全。儿童离开学校,社区又被封锁,全球经济衰退日益严重,家庭压力不断上升。儿童是家庭暴力和虐待的受害者,也是见证人。学校关闭意味着失去了一个重要的预警机制。
Third, safety。With children out of school, their communities in lockdown and a global recession biting deeper, family stress levels are rising。Children are both victims and witnesses of domestic violence and abuse。With schools closed, an important early warning mechanism is missing。
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另一个危险是,女孩离开学校,可能导致少女怀孕增加。我们绝不能忽视儿童因花费更多时间上网而面临越来越大的风险。
There is also a danger that girls will drop out of school,leading to an increase in teenage pregnancies。And we must not ignore the growing risks children are facing as they spend more time online。
这可能会让孩子们容易受到网络性剥削和被诱骗。缺乏与朋友和玩伴的面对面接触可能会导致冒险行为增加,如发送色情图片。
This can leave childrenvulnerable to online sexual exploitation andgrooming。A lack of face-to-face contact with friends and partners may lead to heightened risk-taking such as sending sexualized images。
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而且上网时间延长和无度的可能会使儿童接触潜在有害和暴力内容,以及更大的网络欺凌风险。政府和家长在保护儿童安全方面负有责任,社交媒体公司对保护弱势群体负有特别的责任。
And increased and unstructured time online may expose children to potentially harmful and violent content as well as greater risk of cyberbullying。Governments and parents all have a role in keeping children safe。Social media companies have a special responsibility to protect thevulnerable。
第四,健康。家庭收入减少将迫使贫困家庭削减基本的健康和食品支出,这一影响对儿童、孕妇和哺乳母亲尤其严重。
Fourth, health。Reduced household income will force poor families to cut back on essential health and food expenditures, particularly affecting children, pregnant women, and breastfeeding mothers。
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小儿麻痹症疫苗接种活动已经暂停。
Polio vaccination campaigns have been suspended。
有23个国家叫停了麻疹免疫接种活动。
Measles immunization campaigns have stopped in at least 23 countries。
医疗服务不堪重负,患病儿童就医难度加大。
And as health services become overwhelmed, sick children are less able to access care。
随着全球经济衰退不断加剧,2020年可能还会有几十万儿童死亡。
With the global recession gathering pace, there could be hundreds of thousands additional child deaths in 2020。
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以上只是我们今天报告的一些发现,结论是明确的。对于儿童面临的这些威胁,我们现在就要采取行动。
These are just some of the findings of the report we are issuing today。Its conclusion is clear。We must act now on each of these threats to our children。
各级领袖必须尽一切力量来减轻疫情的影响。一场突发公共卫生事件已经迅速发展成对不让一个人掉队这一全球承诺的严峻考验。
Leaders must do everything in their power to cushion the impact of the pandemic。What started as a public health emergency has snowballed into a formidable test for the global promiseto leave no one behind。
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报告敦促各国政府和捐助者优先考虑所有儿童的教育;
The report urges governments and donors toprioritize education for all children;
报告建议政府和捐助者向低收入家庭提供经济援助,包括现金转移,并尽量减少对儿童社会和医疗服务的干扰。
It recommends theyprovide economic assistance, including cash transfers,to low-income familiesand minimizedisruptions to social and healthcare services for children。
我们还必须优先考虑冲突局势中的儿童、儿童难民和流离失所者、残疾儿童这些最弱势的群体。
We must also prioritize the most vulnerable–children in conflict situations; child refugees and displaced persons; children living with disabilities。
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最后,我们必须作出保证,一定要在疫情过去实现复苏之后夺回损失,努力按照可持续发展目标建设一个更可持续和更加包容的经济和社会。
Finally, we must commit to building back better by using the recovery from COVID-19 topursue a moresustainable and inclusive economy and societyin line with the Sustainable Development Goals。
这场疫情使世界上许多儿童处于危险境地,因此我再次发出紧急呼吁——我们一定要保护儿童,保障儿童的福祉。
With the pandemic placing so many of the world’s children in jeopardy, I reiterate my urgent appeal:let us protect our children and safeguard their well-being。
来源:“联合国”微信公号