US places Singapore, Thailand & Vietnam on human trafficking watch list
By Jon Fernquest
The
US government has just issued a report on human
trafficking.Singapore, Thailand & Vietnam were singled out for special mention.
Today's article begins after the vocabulary below:
human trafficking - "the
illegal trade in human beings for the purposes of commercial sexual
exploitation or forced labor; a modern-day form of slavery" (See Wikipedia)
watch list - a list of things (people, countries, companies, etc) to watch before making a decision about them (usually a negative decision like stopping some form of benefit of aid)
singled out - choosing some members of a group and then dealing with them or treating them specially
watch list - a list of things (people, countries, companies, etc) to watch before making a decision about them (usually a negative decision like stopping some form of benefit of aid)
singled out - choosing some members of a group and then dealing with them or treating them specially
Local News
HUMAN TRAFFICKING
US places Thailand on watch list
16/06/2010WASHINGTON: The US has put allies Thailand and Singapore as well as Vietnam on a human trafficking watch list, accusing them of failing to prevent women from being forced into prostitution.
The move on Monday opens the way for the US to cut off some civilian assistance, although it usually functions as a way to pressure countries to take action.
allies
- countries which work together ประเทศพันธมิตร
prostitution - the business of selling sex การค้าประเวณี
opens the way for Y - starts the process that will lead to Y, creates an opportunity for Y in the future
civilian - of someone who does not belong to the armed forces or the police พลเรือน
assistance - help (given to someone)
civilian assistance - help given to the people who live in a country (from outside the country, by another richer country or the UN, for example)
military assistance - help given to the military of a country by another foreign country
X functions as Y - X works in the same way as Y, X has the same effect as Y
pressure - trying to force someone to do something
pressure to take action - force someone to try to do something to solve a problem
prostitution - the business of selling sex การค้าประเวณี
opens the way for Y - starts the process that will lead to Y, creates an opportunity for Y in the future
civilian - of someone who does not belong to the armed forces or the police พลเรือน
assistance - help (given to someone)
civilian assistance - help given to the people who live in a country (from outside the country, by another richer country or the UN, for example)
military assistance - help given to the military of a country by another foreign country
X functions as Y - X works in the same way as Y, X has the same effect as Y
pressure - trying to force someone to do something
pressure to take action - force someone to try to do something to solve a problem
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who has made women and children's rights a signature issue, called human trafficking a "terrible crime" as she presented the State Department's annual report.
All of us have a responsibility to bring this practice to an end," she said.
rights
- what the law allows you to have and do (See Wikipedia)
สิทธิ์
issue - a problem that needs to be discussed, debated and solved ประเด็น
signature issue - the issue that her name will be associated with (during her time in her position as Secretary of State)
annual - happening once a year ประจำปี
responsibility - something that you should or really must do because of who you are or the position you hold (here: everyone in the world has a responsibility)
practice - some activity that people do regularly
issue - a problem that needs to be discussed, debated and solved ประเด็น
signature issue - the issue that her name will be associated with (during her time in her position as Secretary of State)
annual - happening once a year ประจำปี
responsibility - something that you should or really must do because of who you are or the position you hold (here: everyone in the world has a responsibility)
practice - some activity that people do regularly
The report estimated that 12.3 million people were victims of trafficking in 2009-2010, although it said there has been progress over the past decade.
The State Department added a number of Asian nations to its watch list: Afghanistan, Brunei, Laos, the Maldives, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. Bangladesh, China, India, Micronesia, the Philippines and Sri Lanka stayed on the list, unchanged from a year earlier.
North Korea, Burma and Papua New Guinea remained at the bottom level of countries that do not even meet the minimum standards on human trafficking.
victims
- people who are killed injured or harmed in some way from an accident,
natural disaster, crime, etc.
progress - situation improving and developing over time, with goals being achieved, completing tasks that move you towards achieving a goal ความก้าวหน้า
decade - a period of ten years ทศวรรษ, ระยะเวลา 10 ปี
standards - a rule for behaving which should be obeyed มาตรฐาน, บรรทัดฐาน, กฎเกณฑ์, กรอบ
meet the minimum standards - at least follow the most simple and basic rules of behaviour
progress - situation improving and developing over time, with goals being achieved, completing tasks that move you towards achieving a goal ความก้าวหน้า
decade - a period of ten years ทศวรรษ, ระยะเวลา 10 ปี
standards - a rule for behaving which should be obeyed มาตรฐาน, บรรทัดฐาน, กฎเกณฑ์, กรอบ
meet the minimum standards - at least follow the most simple and basic rules of behaviour
Explaining the downgrade for Singapore, the report said that some women from China, the Philippines and Thailand are tricked into coming to the city-state with promises of legitimate employment and coerced into the sex trade.
The report said that while Singapore had launched "some significant new steps" against trafficking, there were no "quantifiable indicators" that the country's government was identifying more victims or prosecuting more culprits.
downgrade
- to reduce someone or something to a lower rank or position ลดความสำคัญ
state - government รัฐ
city-state - a small country that is only one city
legitimate - reasonable and acceptable ถูกต้องสมควร
employment - having a paid job
trade - the buying and selling of goods การค้าขาย
the sex trade - prostitution, the business of sex for money
launched - started, began เริ่มต้นดำเนินการ, เริ่ม
significant - large enough to be important or have an effect ที่สำคัญยิ่ง
indicator - something that shows another thing, one thing used to measure the level of another thing (example: high blood pressure is sometimes an indicator of heart disease)
quantifiable indicator - an indicator that can be measured, that provides a number with meaning (example: she has a cholesterol level of 205)
identifying - can name the person, know who the person is ระบุชื่อ
prosecuting - bring to court where a judge hears the details of the criminal case and punishes if found guilty
culprits - people who did something wrong (here the traders who are partly responsible for the crisis) ผู้กระทำผิด
state - government รัฐ
city-state - a small country that is only one city
legitimate - reasonable and acceptable ถูกต้องสมควร
employment - having a paid job
trade - the buying and selling of goods การค้าขาย
the sex trade - prostitution, the business of sex for money
launched - started, began เริ่มต้นดำเนินการ, เริ่ม
significant - large enough to be important or have an effect ที่สำคัญยิ่ง
indicator - something that shows another thing, one thing used to measure the level of another thing (example: high blood pressure is sometimes an indicator of heart disease)
quantifiable indicator - an indicator that can be measured, that provides a number with meaning (example: she has a cholesterol level of 205)
identifying - can name the person, know who the person is ระบุชื่อ
prosecuting - bring to court where a judge hears the details of the criminal case and punishes if found guilty
culprits - people who did something wrong (here the traders who are partly responsible for the crisis) ผู้กระทำผิด
The State Department said Thailand was a source, destination and transit point for trafficking, with ethnic minorities and citizens of neighbouring countries at particular risk of sexual abuse or forced labour.
Senator Jim Webb, who heads the foreign relations subcommittee on East Asia, had made an unusually open appeal not to place Thailand on the watch list.
source
- the place or person something comes from or starts at, or the cause
of something ต้นกำเนิด, แหล่งกำเนิด
destination - the place where someone or something is going จุดหมายปลายทาง
transit - the act of moving from one place to another การเดินทางผ่าน
risk - the possibility that something dangerous or unpleasant might happen ความเสี่ยง
abuse - to treat someone wrongly or badly (cruelly, violently, unfairly) ใช้ในทางที่ผิด, โหดเหี้ยม ทารุณ
sexual abuse - treating someone badly for purposes of sex (example: telling them they have a normal job and then forcing them to be a prostitute)
forced labour - forcing people to work for wages and in conditions that they do not accept
foreign relations subcommittee on East Asia - a group in the US congress that makes decisions on policy in Asia
appeal - an urgent request for people to do something or behave in a particular way ร้องขอ
open appeal - make a request in public, so that everyone can see that they are making the request
destination - the place where someone or something is going จุดหมายปลายทาง
transit - the act of moving from one place to another การเดินทางผ่าน
risk - the possibility that something dangerous or unpleasant might happen ความเสี่ยง
abuse - to treat someone wrongly or badly (cruelly, violently, unfairly) ใช้ในทางที่ผิด, โหดเหี้ยม ทารุณ
sexual abuse - treating someone badly for purposes of sex (example: telling them they have a normal job and then forcing them to be a prostitute)
forced labour - forcing people to work for wages and in conditions that they do not accept
foreign relations subcommittee on East Asia - a group in the US congress that makes decisions on policy in Asia
appeal - an urgent request for people to do something or behave in a particular way ร้องขอ
open appeal - make a request in public, so that everyone can see that they are making the request
The State Department recognised improvements in Pakistan, which was taken off the watch list, and Malaysia, which was on the watch list but lifted from the lowest category.
Pakistan "has dramatically increased the number of convictions and prosecutions for human trafficking, undertaking creative efforts to prevent bonded labour", Luis CdeBaca, the US envoy on human trafficking, told reporters.
category
- a group of people or things that have similar qualities หมวดหมู่
ประเภท
dramatically - in a big way อย่างใหญ่หลวง
convictions - when a person is found to have carried out a crime (guilty) in a court of law (and is then punished)
prosecutions - starting the process of determining guilt in a court of law
undertaking - something difficult that you do ภาระกิจ
creative - creating and developing new original ideas, especially in art or literature
efforts - people trying to accomplish something, achieve a goal ความพยายาม
undertaking creative efforts - doing things in a creative way, using their imagination
bonded labour, debt bondage - using human beings aas security for a loan, "an arrangement whereby a person is forced to pay off a loan with direct labor in place of currency" (See Wikipedia)
envoy - someone who is sent as a representative from one government or organization to another ทูต
dramatically - in a big way อย่างใหญ่หลวง
convictions - when a person is found to have carried out a crime (guilty) in a court of law (and is then punished)
prosecutions - starting the process of determining guilt in a court of law
undertaking - something difficult that you do ภาระกิจ
creative - creating and developing new original ideas, especially in art or literature
efforts - people trying to accomplish something, achieve a goal ความพยายาม
undertaking creative efforts - doing things in a creative way, using their imagination
bonded labour, debt bondage - using human beings aas security for a loan, "an arrangement whereby a person is forced to pay off a loan with direct labor in place of currency" (See Wikipedia)
envoy - someone who is sent as a representative from one government or organization to another ทูต
Meanwhile, Malaysian authorities "have acknowledged and begun to tackle their serious human trafficking problem, including intensified engagement with foreign governments", Mr CdeBaca said.
For the first time, the US included itself in the report. It ranked itself in compliance. AFP
authorities
- government officials, the police or people in
official organisations who have the legal power to make people obey
laws or rules เจ้าหน้าที่ (ตำรวจ หรือผู้มีอำนาจ)
acknowledge - accept that something exists (here: a problem)
tackle - to make an organised and determine attempt to deal with and solve a problem แก้ปัญหา, จัดการกับปัญหา
engagement - being involved in something การพัวพันอยู่กับ
intensified engagement - working more on a problem, task or activity
compliance - following a rule or law
acknowledge - accept that something exists (here: a problem)
tackle - to make an organised and determine attempt to deal with and solve a problem แก้ปัญหา, จัดการกับปัญหา
engagement - being involved in something การพัวพันอยู่กับ
intensified engagement - working more on a problem, task or activity
compliance - following a rule or law
(Source: HUMAN TRAFFICKING, US places Thailand on watch list, 16/06/2010, link)
