【雅思课外精读】澳洲养老院内虐待案频发

　　【雅思课外精读】澳洲养老院内虐待案频发  原文译文*注：本文选自10月22日 BBC News

　　Australia aged care: Inquiry hears 50 sexual assaults happen each week

　　澳大利亚老年护理：调查发现澳大利亚养老院每周会发生50次性侵犯

图片来源网络

　　1.An estimated 50 sexual assaults occur each week across Australia's aged care sector, a national inquiry has heard. Since 2018, the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety has uncovered widespread elder abuse and mistreatment. On Thursday, investigators said about 2,520 sexual assaults had happened in residential nursing homes in 2018-2019.

　　据一项全国性调查得知，在澳大利亚的养老院中，每周估计有约50起性侵事件发生。自2018年以来，皇家老龄护理质量和安全委员会发现广泛存在的性侵和虐待老人现象。周四，调查人员表示，2018-2019年，养老院发生了大约2520起性侵事件。

　　2."This is a national shame," counsel Peter Rozen QC told the inquiry. "As disturbing as these figures are, the evidence of the lack of follow-up by the Australian government department that receives the reports is, if anything, worse." Failures in the sector have drawn great scrutiny this year - more than 75% of Australia's 903 coronavirus deaths have been aged care residents.

　　法律顾问Peter Rozen QC在调查中说，“这是国家的耻辱。这些数字令人不安，但澳大利亚政府部门收到报告后没有采取任何行动，这更让人担忧。”今年，老年护理的问题引起了广泛关注——澳大利亚903例冠状病毒死亡病例中，75%以上是养老院老人。

　　3.But Mr Rozen said evidence showed that "unlawful sexual conduct" had long been a concern, adding it was believed to affect 13-18% of aged care residents.

　　Rozen补充说，有证据表明“非法性行为”一直是一个问题，他补充说，据信这困扰着13-18%的养老院老人。

　　4.Many people had placed their older or vulnerable relatives in care homes in the belief it would be safer for them, he added. "It is therefore entirely unacceptable that people in residential aged care face a substantially higher risk of assault than people living in community," Mr Rozen said.

　　他补充说，许多人把年老体弱的家属送到养老院，是因为他们认为这样对他们更好。Rozen说:“因此，养老院老人比社区老人面临更可能受到侵犯，这是让人无法接受的。”

　　5.Overall, investigators estimated that over 32,000 assaults - physical, sexual and emotional - had occurred in a year in such homes. The abuse was perpetrated by carers as well as other residents.

　　调查人员估计，总的来看，在养老院中，一年有超过32000起包括人身、性和情感在内的虐待。虐待行为主要是护理员和其他养老院老人犯下的。