注：本文選自8月5日CNN News
South Korean authorities encourage men to marry foreign women. But their brides often become victims of abuse
韓國當局鼓勵男性與外國女性結婚，但是她們經常遭受虐待
Foreign brides in South Korea
外國新娘在韓國
1.For decades, there has been a gender imbalance in rural parts of South Korea. Young women often head to cities for jobs and marriage, while their malecounterpartsstaybehindto tend their land and fulfill the Confucian expectation that they look after their elderly parents. In the 1980s, local governments started subsidizing privatemarriagebrokers who could introduce bachelor farmers to ethnically Korean women in China, paying the brokers 4 to 6 million won (then around $3,800 to $5,700) per marriage. It was an attempt to address the aging population by encouraging men to find a wife, and hopefully have children. In the decades after, brides were no longer only ethnically Korean and began coming from more countries -- the Philippines, Vietnam and Cambodia.
幾十年來，韓國農村地區的性別比例一直都很不均衡。年輕女性往往選擇去城市工作結婚，而男性則留下來照顧年邁的父母。上世紀八十年代，地方政府開始補貼那些私人婚姻經紀人，讓他們為農村的男性介紹中國的朝鮮族婦女，每撮合成一樁婚姻，這些婚姻經紀人能夠賺取400萬到600萬韓元（約合3800至5700美元）。這是一個通過幫助男性娶到媳婦然後生下孩子以解決韓國人口老齡化問題的方式。在那之後的幾十年裏，新娘不僅僅是朝鮮族女性，還有其他國家包括菲律賓，越南和柬埔寨的婦女。
2.An industry oftransnationalmarriage brokers soon emerged. As of May, 380 matchmaking agencies were registered in South Korea, according to government statistics. These days, more foreign brides in South Korea come from Vietnam than any other country. Most marry men in rural areas of South Korea, where some provinces still offer subsidies -- South Jeolla province, for instance, offers men older than 35 who have never been married previously a 5 million won ($4,190) subsidy for marrying a foreign wife and presenting a marriageregistration.
跨國婚姻經紀人行業很快就出現了。據韓國政府統計，截至5月，韓國共有380多家登記在冊的婚介機構。如今，來自越南的外籍新娘人數最多，而大多數外籍新娘都是嫁給了韓國農村的男人，在這些地區，政府仍然在提供補貼。在全羅道省，當地政府為35歲以上從未結過婚的男性提供500萬韓元(合4190美元)的補貼，只要他們能夠娶到一名外籍女性並辦理結婚登記。
3.In 2018, 16,608 Korean men and foreign women married, with 6,338 coming from Vietnam, 3,671 from China, and 1,560 from Thailand. In total, 28% of all marriages between a foreigner and a Korean person involved a South Korean man and a Vietnamese bride. Part of the reason so many brides come from Vietnam is economic. According to CIA World Factbook, Vietnam's GDP per capita was $6,900 in 2017 -- that same year, South Korea's was $39,500. Brides are often young, and hoping for a better life. According to a government survey in 2017, the average age of marriage broker users was 43.6, while the average age of foreign brides was 25.2.
2018年，韓國共有16608名男性和外籍女性結婚，其中有3671名婦女來自中國，6338名來自越南，1560名來自泰國。總的來看，在跨國婚姻中，有28%的婚姻中是韓國男人娶了泰國女人。這麼多越南女性嫁給韓國男性主要還是處於經濟原因。根據CIA世界概況的數據， 2017年，越南人均GDP為6900美元，同年，韓國人均GDP為39500美元。這些外籍新娘往往都很年輕，都希望能過上更好的生活。根據韓國政府2017年的一項調查，婚姻中介用户的平均年齡為43.6歲，而外籍新娘的平均年齡為25.2歲。
Judge Kang Dong-hyeok ："The victim trusted the defendant -- she left Vietnam and began her life in South Korea."
法官Kang Dong-hyeok：“受害者信任被告——她離開了越南，在韓國開始了新生活。”
4.Experts and officials disagree on how to categorize this transnational trend. The United Nations Action for Cooperation againstTrafficking in Persons says Vietnamese women are trafficked to a number of countries, including South Korea, for "forced marriages." But Lee Jin-hye, a lawyer with Migrants Center Friends based in Seoul, said foreign brides are choosing to come to South Korea -- even if the primary reason is to send money to their families back home, rather than for their own personal benefit. In Trinh's case, court documents indicated she went to South Korea willingly. "The victim trusted the defendant -- she left Vietnam and began her life in South Korea," Judge Kang said.
專家和當局對這種跨國婚姻意見不一。聯合國打擊人口販賣合作行動組織稱，越南婦女被販賣到包括韓國在內的一些國家，被強迫結婚。但首爾Migrants Center Friends的律師李金惠説，外籍新娘是自願選擇來韓國的，雖然她們來此的主要目的是給家人寄錢而不是為了自己的幸福生活。在Trinh的案件中，法庭文件顯示她是自願來韓國的。“受害者信任被告——她離開了越南，在韓國開始了新生活，”康法官説。
What goes wrong？
到底是哪裏出了問題？
5.The South Korean government -- and countries in Southeast Asia -- have long worried that the foreign bride industry could lead to human trafficking and abuse. In 2010, Cambodia temporarily banned its citizens from marrying South Koreans. Vietnamese authorities have also raised concerns with South Korea, according to local Vietnam media reports.
韓國政府和東南亞國家長期以來一直擔心，外籍新娘行業可能會導致人口販賣和虐待。2010年，柬埔寨暫時禁止本國公民與韓國人結婚。據越南當地媒體報道，越南當局也向韓國表達了擔憂。
6.In South Korea itself, the rules have also been tightened -- since 2014, Korean nationals and their foreign spouses must prove that they can communicate to get a visa. Applicants need to prove that the bride has at least basic Korean, or the couple can communicate in a third language. It's unclear how Trinh evaded this rule, despite the communication issues with her husband. There is no evidence of the husband's Vietnamese ability. Further, South Korea last year announced plans to prevent men with an abusive history from being allowed to sponsor a visa for a foreign bride. That law is set to take effect in October.
韓國自身也收緊了相關規定——自2014年以來，韓國國民及其外國配偶必須證明雙方能夠進行交流才能獲得簽證。申請者需要證明新娘會基本的韓語，或者夫妻倆能用第三種語言交流。目前尚不清楚Trinh是如何逃避這一規定的。沒有證據表明她丈夫會説越南語。此外，韓國去年宣佈了一項計劃，禁止有虐待史的男性為外籍新娘提供簽證擔保。該法律將於10月生效。
7.But there are still institutional issues in South Korea that put foreign brides and their husbands on anunevenfooting. Under South Korea's immigration laws, foreign brides need their husbands to sponsor their initial visa, which lasts one year. After that, they need to renew their visa every three years. "There are cases of husbands threatening towithdrawtheir (support for the visa) if a wife wants separation," said Lee, the lawyer. Women on a spousal visa can work in South Korea, and can eventually becomepermanentresidents.
但韓國仍存在一些制度問題，使外籍新娘和她們的丈夫處於不平衡的地位。根據韓國移民法，外籍新娘需要他們的丈夫來擔保她們的初始簽證，有效期為一年。在那之後，他們需要每三年更新一次簽證。律師李説:“某些情況下，丈夫威脅説，如果妻子想分居，他們會撤回(對簽證的支持)。”持有配偶簽證的女性可以在韓國工作，並最終成為永久居民。
8.If the couple divorces and does not have children, the wife must return to her home country, unless she can prove that her Korean spouse was responsible for the marriagebreakdownor that she has been a victim of abuse and needs time to recover. "These institutional conditions have the effect of strengthening the power of Korean spouses," said Heo Young-sook, head of the Korea Women Migrants Human Rights Center. "Even when there are problems, migrant women feel that they should maintain their unhappy marriage because of these institutional issues." In the 2017 National Human Rights Commission survey, most foreign brides polled said they didn't tell anyone about the domestic violence they had suffered. They said they were embarrassed, didn't know who to tell, and didn't expect anything to change by doing so.
如果夫妻離婚且沒有孩子，妻子必須返回自己的國家，除非她能證明她的韓國配偶對婚姻破裂負有責任，或者她曾受過虐待，需要時間來恢復。韓國婦女移民人權中心負責人Heo Young-sook表示:“這些制度增強了韓國男性的權利，即使婚姻中存在問題，這些外籍新年也會選擇維持這段不幸福的婚姻。”在2017年全國人權委員會的調查中，大多數接受調查的外籍新娘表示，她們沒有告訴任何人自己遭受過家庭暴力。她們説，她們覺得很尷尬，也不知道該向誰訴説，更不指望能有什麼改變。
What needs to change？
需要哪些改變？
9.It's not easy being a woman in South Korea. The country ranks among the lowest in the OECD in the World Economic Forum's latest Global Gender Gap report, partly due to unequal political and employment opportunities for women. Over the past few years, sex crimeallegations against entertainment stars, politicians and sports coaches have prompted a reckoning against what some see as a deeplypatriarchalculture.
在韓國，做一個女人並不容易。在世界經濟論壇最新的全球性別差距報告中，韓國在經合組織國家中排名最低，部分原因是女性在政治和就業機會上的不平等。在過去的幾年裏，針對娛樂明星、政客和體育教練的性犯罪指控使得一些人開始反思其根深蒂固的男權文化。
Heo Young-sook, head of the Korea Women Migrants Human Rights Center : "Migrant women facemulti-layereddiscrimination -- it often is gender discrimination and racial discrimination, combined with institutional issues, that create problems."
韓國婦女移民人權中心的負責人Heo Young-sook説 :外籍新年面臨着多重歧視，性別歧視，種族歧視加上制度歧視導致了這些問題。”
10.According to Heo, life is even harder for foreign brides. "Koreans often express a sense ofinferiorityto the West, even defining themselves as victims of racism, but act superior to people from countries where economic conditions are not as high as Korea," she said. "Migrant women face multi-layered discrimination -- it often is gender discrimination and racial discrimination, combined with institutional issues, that create problems."
Heo説，外籍新娘的生活更加艱難。她説:“對於西方國家，韓國人常常會有自卑感，甚至把自己歸為種族主義的受害者，而對於那些經濟不如自己的國家，韓國人卻有一種優越感。外籍新年面臨着多重歧視，性別歧視，種族歧視再加上制度歧視，導致了這些問題。”
11.That canplay outin a number of ways. Lee, from Migrants Center Friends, says women often feel discriminated against by their own extended family -- their mother-in-law might complain about their cooking, and some familiesexcludeforeign brides from decision making. Many wives don't get money to spend and have to ask for it, she added. The tide is slowly turning, however. This year, Justice Party lawmaker Jang Hye-yong proposed an anti-discrimination bill which, if passed, would be a first for the country.
這從多方面表現出來。來自Migrants Center Friends的Lee説，外籍新娘經常覺得自己受到歧視，婆婆嫌棄她們的廚藝，而有的家庭不讓外籍新娘參與做決定。她補充説，許多外籍妻子沒有錢花，不得不自己開口要錢。然而，情況正在慢慢改變。今年，韓國正義黨議員Jang Hye-yong提出了一項反歧視法案，如果該法案獲得通過，這將是韓國的首個反歧視法案。
12.South Korea doesn't have a law guaranteeing legal protection against discrimination for all citizens, including minorities and LGBT people. The proposed bill aims to protect people facing discrimination, and gives the state the ability to resolve disputes and protect individuals. It's unclear when the bill will be voted on, although parliament returned on July 17. If approved, Jang believes the law could help migrant women, although the law doesn't specifically mention abuse against them. It does, however, prohibit indirect discrimination that causes physical or mental pain to a group or individual.
韓國並沒有保障所有公民包括少數民族和LGBT人羣不受歧視的法律。這項擬議的法案旨在保護面臨歧視的人，並賦予國家解決糾紛和保護個人的權力。儘管議會已於7月17日復會，該法案何時會進行投票還不清楚。Jang Hye-yong認為，儘管該法案沒有特別提及外籍新娘受到的虐待，但是如果該法案獲得通過，她們將會受益。該法案禁止對羣體或個人造成身體或精神痛苦的間接歧視。
13."If (the way migrant women are treated) is defined as discrimination and can be corrected, I think that many migrant women in our society can live more safely and with more dignity." Lee, the lawyer, doesn't believe that the bill will be a quick fix for migrant women. Instead, she thinks the bill will help bring about a social shift, improving awareness of racial discrimination at work, school and at home. "I believe it willdiscouragepeoplefrommaking hate speech and encourage people to correct systematic discrimination. At least people will know what behavior and words are discriminatory and subject to punishment," she said.
“如果能夠把對待外籍新娘的方式定義為歧視並對此進行糾正，那我認為我們社會中的許多外籍新年可以生活得更安全、更有尊嚴。” 李律師認為，該法案不會很快解決外籍新娘的問題。相反，她認為該法案將有助於實現社會轉變，提高人們在工作、學校和家庭中對種族歧視的認識。“我相信這將阻止人們發表仇恨言論，並鼓勵人們糾正系統性歧視。至少人們會知道哪些行為和言語是歧視性的，是會受到懲罰的。”
篇章結構
P1—P3：外籍新娘在韓國的情況：外籍新娘的起源以及現狀。
P4：韓國當局和專家對外籍新娘的看法。
P5—P8：外籍新娘面臨的問題：人口販賣問題；歧視問題。
P9—P13：針對外籍新娘受到歧視的問題，有議員提出反歧視的法案，該法案將會帶來一些改變。
重點單詞
counterpart/'kaʊntəpɑːt/ n. 與對方地位相當的人, 與另一方作用相當的物
【例句】
Her counterpart left in vain and vapidity.
對方索然無味，徙勞而去。
stay behind留下來
【例句】
On wild days she stays behind with her mother.
在狂風大作的日子裏，她留在家裏跟媽媽在一起。
marriage broker媒人；婚姻介紹所
transnational/trænz'næʃ(ə)n(ə)l/ adj. 影響數國的;數國參與的;跨國的
【例句】
He doesn’t want his firm to be swallowed up by a transnational giant.
他不想自己的公司被一家大型的跨國公司吞併。
registration/redʒɪ'streɪʃ(ə)n/ n. 登記,註冊,掛號；登記項目,記錄事項；登記(或註冊、掛號)人數；(管風琴)音栓配合(法)
【例句】
Certain charities are exempt from VAT registration.
某些慈善機構無須進行增值税登記。
traffickv.用…作交換;在…通行;交易;買賣(traffic)
traffickern. (尤指毒品的)非法買賣者
【例句】
They arrested him when they could prove that he trafficked in opium.
當他們證實他販賣鴉片時，就把他逮捕了。
uneven/ʌn'iːv(ə)n/ adj. 不平坦的;不平滑的;不規則的；不一致的;不相等的;有差異的；(競爭等)不對等的；不穩定的;易變化的
【例句】
Her works have been rather uneven this year.
她今年的作品相當參差不齊。
withdraw/wɪð'drɔː/ vt. & vi. 取[收]回；(使)撤退[出]
【短語】
withdraw fromv. 退出；離開
withdraw money取錢
withdraw cash取現；取錢
withdraw troops收兵，撤軍
【例句】
They have withdrawn to a safer area.
他們已經撤退到更為安全的地帶。
permanent/'pɜːm(ə)nənt/ adj. 永久(性)的, 固定的
【例句】
He is one of our permanent employees.
他是我們的終身僱員之一。
breakdown/'breɪkdaʊn/ n. 損壞, 故障；垮台, 破裂；衰竭, 衰弱
【例句】
His remarks led to the breakdown of talks between the staff and the management.
他的話導致了勞資談判的破裂。
allegation/ælɪ'geɪʃ(ə)n/ n. 陳述, 宣稱, 辯解;陳詞
allegation against針對…的指控
【例句】
The committee found no evidence to support allegations of smuggling.
委員會沒有發現能夠支持走私指控的證據。
patriarchal/ˌpeitri'ɑ:kəl/ adj. 由男人統治或控制的,家長統治下的；家長(似)的,族長(似)的,可尊敬的,威嚴的；宗法封建性的
【例句】
The North Korean system is fundamentally patriarchal.
從根本上來説，朝鮮的制度是父權制。
inferiority/in,fiəri'ɔrəti/ n. 劣勢,劣等;下等;次級；自卑情緒,自卑感
【短語】
inferiority complex自卑情結；自卑感
feeling of inferiority自卑感
【例句】
Failure induces a total sense of inferiority.
失敗使人產生自卑。
multi-layered/'mʌlti,leiəd/ adj. 多層的
【例句】
Each family keeps a kitchen garden modelled on the multi-layered structure of the surrounding forests, which the Dai hold sacred.
每户人家都有菜圃，是依周遭多層次的森林地形而建的，這也是傣族神聖守護的地方。
play out做完，放出，精疲力盡
【例句】
She continued to play out her role of dutiful daughter.
她繼續克盡她作為女兒的職責。
exclude/ɪk'skluːd/ vt. 排除；排斥；拒絕接納；逐出
【短語】
excluded from排除
【例句】
The court excluded the improperly obtained evidence.
法院不接受非正常渠道獲得的證據
discourage/dɪs'kʌrɪdʒ/ vt. 使氣餒; 使沮喪；阻礙; 勸阻
【同根】
discouragementn. 氣餒；挫折；勸阻
【短語】
discourage from勸阻
【例句】
A spell of tough luck discouraged him.
一段時間的厄運使他失去了勇氣。
- THE END -
堅持就會有收穫！