Rohingya Girls Forced into Dangerous Marriages in Malaysia

Rohingya Girls Forced into Dangerous Marriages in Malaysia

马来西亚的罗兴亚女孩被迫步入危险的婚姻

【听力音频】

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　　By Dan Friedell

　　25 December 2023

　　The Rohingya girl from Myanmar wanted to do anything she could to provide some money for her parents and three younger siblings. They needed food.

　　The 14-year-old and her family are members of the Muslim minority in Myanmar. The group is always in danger of attack by government forces and others there.

　　Last year, the girl, M, agreed to marry a man in Malaysia who promised to send about $4,000 to her family.

　　She and all the girls in this report are identified by only the first letter of their names for their safety.

　　M told the Associated Press she was not ready for marriage. But she had an urgent need to help her family.

　　Now, a year later in Kuala Lumpur, her 35-year-old husband rapes her almost every night.

　　M's experience is not unusual, the AP reports.

　　Many underage girls are now in Malaysia living in forced marriages to older men.

　　The girls say conditions for Rohingya in Myanmar and refugee camps in Bangladesh were very bad. Soldiers and others were raping and killing people. Others had their homes burned and property stolen. Malaysia seemed like a possibility for a safer life.

　　Difficult journey

　　The AP interviewed 13 Rohingya for the report. All had arrived in Malaysia since 2022. The youngest girl was 13. They all say they feel like hostages. They are rarely permitted outside their homes. They say they are not prepared to be mothers. About half are pregnant and some have children already.

　　The path to flee the refugee camps or Myanmar is dangerous. Some try crossing the Andaman Sea by boat although many die on the long trip. The United Nations said most Rohingya who survived the crossing this year were women and children.

　　The people who take the girls on dangerous trips to Malaysia are called traffickers. The girls are crowded onto boats and vehicles for the trip. There is little food. The traffickers also rape and beat the girls.

　　When M arrived in Malaysia, the man she was to marry called for the ceremony to take place at once. M was still bleeding from the rapes she suffered on her journey. A person who helps the Rohingya girls took her to a hospital for care.

　　When M got home, she found out the man who was now her husband already had a wife and two children. M does not tell her parents what happened to her. She thinks it might cause her husband to stop sending monthly payments to her family.

　　Pain and unwanted pregnancy

　　Another girl, D, is in the same situation. She is 13. She plays with a little toy whale as she talks. She wants to play outside or visit a market nearby. But, her husband does not permit her to leave the home. She is forced to have sex every day. She does not want a baby, but she knows there is a good chance she will get pregnant.

　　"I want to run," D said.

　　R is 16. She has a newborn. She is one of several girls in a building filled with child brides who now have their own children. You can hear the babies crying.

　　She said life as a refugee in Bangladesh was difficult. But, as one of 11 children in her family, she was never lonely there. She had no one in Malaysia except her husband. She would be alone all day while he was at work.

　　R gave birth recently. "When I saw my baby's face, I was happy, because now I have a friend," she told the AP.

　　However, being a mother is not easy. She said she does not know how to be a mother.

　　"I miss my mom," she said. "I want my parents."

　　S is pregnant and homeless. Her Malaysian husband forced her to leave when he found out she was pregnant. Without a job, S walks the streets of Kuala Lumpur asking strangers for money.

　　"I once dreamed of having a happy family," S says. "I don't dream much anymore."

　　I'm Dan Friedell. And I'm Caty Weaver.

　　Dan Friedell adapted this story for Learning English based on a report by the Associated Press.

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　　作者：Dan Friedell

　　2023年12月25日

　　这个来自缅甸的罗兴亚女孩愿意做任何事情来为她的父母和三个年幼的兄弟姐妹提供一些钱。他们需要食物。

　　这个14岁的女孩和她的家人是缅甸的穆斯林少数民族。这个群体总是面临着政府军和其他人的攻击。

　　去年，这个名叫M的女孩同意嫁给一个在马来西亚的男人，他承诺给她的家人发送大约4000美元。

　　为了她们的安全，这篇报道中的所有女孩都只用名字的第一个字母来标识。

　　M告诉美联社，她还没有准备好结婚。但她迫切需要帮助她的家人。

　　现在，一年后在吉隆坡，她35岁的丈夫几乎每晚都强奸她。

　　据美联社报道，M的经历并不罕见。

　　现在，许多未成年女孩在马来西亚，被迫与年长的男子结婚。

　　这些女孩说，罗兴亚人在缅甸和孟加拉国的难民营的生活条件非常糟糕。士兵和其他人在强奸和杀害人们。其他人的房子被烧毁，财产被偷。马来西亚似乎是一个可能的安全生活的地方。

　　艰难的旅程

　　美联社采访了13名罗兴亚人进行报道。他们都是自2022年以来抵达马来西亚的。最年轻的女孩只有13岁。他们都说他们感觉像是人质。他们很少被允许出门。他们说他们没有准备好成为母亲。大约一半的人已经怀孕，有些人已经有孩子了。

　　逃离难民营或缅甸的道路充满危险。有些人尝试乘船穿越安达曼海，尽管很多人在长途旅行中死亡。联合国表示，今年幸存下来的罗兴亚人中，大多数是妇女和儿童。

　　带领这些女孩进行危险旅行到马来西亚的人被称为贩卖人口的人。这些女孩被挤在船和车上进行旅行。食物很少。贩卖人口的人也强奸和殴打这些女孩。

　　当M抵达马来西亚时，她要嫁给的男人要求立即举行婚礼。M还在因旅途中遭受的强奸而流血。一个帮助罗兴亚女孩的人把她带到医院接受治疗。

　　当M回到家时，她发现现在成为她丈夫的男人已经有妻子和两个孩子了。M没有告诉她的父母她遭遇的事情。她认为这可能会导致她的丈夫停止向她的家人发送每月的付款。

　　痛苦和意外怀孕

　　另一个女孩，D，也处于同样的情况。她只有13岁。她在说话的时候玩着一个小玩具鲸鱼。她想要出去玩，或者去附近的市场。但是，她的丈夫不允许她离开家。她每天都被强迫进行性行为。她不想要孩子，但她知道她很可能会怀孕。

　　“我想逃跑，”D说。

　　R是16岁。她有一个新生儿。她是一个充满童养媳的大楼里的几个女孩之一，现在她们都有自己的孩子。你可以听到婴儿的哭声。

　　她说，在孟加拉国做难民的生活很艰难。但是，作为家中11个孩子中的一个，她在那里从来不会感到孤独。除了她的丈夫，她在马来西亚没有任何人。当他上班的时候，她一整天都会独自一人。

　　R最近生了孩子。“当我看到我的宝宝的脸，我很开心，因为现在我有了一个朋友，”她告诉美联社。

　　然而，做母亲并不容易。她说她不知道如何做母亲。

　　“我想念我的妈妈，”她说。“我想要我的父母。”

　　S正在怀孕并且无家可归。当她的马来西亚丈夫发现她怀孕后，强迫她离开。没有工作的S在吉隆坡的街头向陌生人乞讨。

　　“我曾经梦想过有一个幸福的家庭，”S说。“我现在不再怎么做梦了。”

　　我是Dan Friedell。我是Caty Weaver。

　　Dan Friedell根据美联社的报道为英语学习改编了这个故事。

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　　这个故事中的词汇：

　　bride –n. 传统婚姻中的女性的称呼