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Working insurence for Asian women
亚洲妇女工作保障
This year, the annual meeting of the Commission on the Status of Women has a new focus: the global economic downturn. Economists say that in financial crises women are of the first to be fired, including for example, those in Africa engaged in exports like the sale of cut flowers to Europe.
今年的联合国妇女地位委员会年度会议关注的新焦点是全球经济衰退。经济学家说,在金融危机时期，女性通常首先被解雇,包括在非洲从事将鲜切花出口到 欧洲的女性等。
Among those attending the meeting in New York are government officials, UN agencies, and non-government organizations. Much of the debate this year centers on the global economic slowdown.
会议在纽约举行,参加会议的有政府官员、联合国机构以及非 政府组织。今年的讨论大部分集中在全球经济衰退问题上。
Across Asia women are bearing the brunt of the global economic downturn as export manufacturers shed workers. The United Nation’s International Labor Organization and labor rights groups say Asian governments need to boost social protection programs for women and workers vulnerable to the global recession.
由于制造出口产品的企业纷纷裁员,亚洲各地女性承受全球经 济危机的冲击尤其严重。联合国国际劳工组织和劳工权益组织说，亚洲各国政府需要加强社会保障项目，向经济衰退中处于弱势的工人群体和妇女提供保障。
Asia’s export-driven growth over the past 30 years has drawn millions of women into the work force, making consumer goods for the world. The work lifted families out of poverty and gave women greater independence and opportunities.
近30年来,外贸出口引领了亚洲的经济增长,数百万妇女加入了出口企业的劳动大军,为全世界生产消费品。她们的工作使家庭免于贫困,让她们更加独立,并陚予她们更多的机会。
Now the global economic downturn means tens of thousands of women are losing their jobs, as slow demand forces factories making everything from clothes to electronics to shut down.
由于全球经济衰退的到来，需求戚少迫使制衣厂、电子厂等各类制造业工厂纷纷倒闭，数以万计的妇女正在失去工作。
Kee Beom Kim, an economist with the United Nation's International Labour Organization, says women in export industries the region are especially vulnerable to the current economic climate. Kim says the consequences are wide ranging.
联合国国际劳工组织的经济学家金基范(音)说，亚洲外贸企业的女工是目前经济环境下最容易受到冲击的一个群体,而且其影响是广泛的。
“They have lost their jobs and without a job, in some cases for those who are poor their food and their health consumption decrease; we see that children are being withdrawn from school，” said Kim. “In the garment industries reduced working hours basically means less take home pay of course a detrimental effect on consumption.”
“她们失去了工作。对那些贫困人口来说,没有工作,她们在食品和医疗方面的消费都在减少。我们看到孩子们被迫退学.在制衣厂，工时减少意味着能拿回家的钱也在减少——当然，这不利于促进消费。”
China, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and Cambodia are some of the countries where exports account for a large proportion of national output. A slowdown in foreign investment and a decline in remittances from overseas workers worsen the poor economic climate for women workers.
在中国、新加坡、马来西亚、泰国和柬埔寨等国,外贸出口在国家工业产出中占据很大的比例。外国投资的减缓以及在海外工作的家人的汇款的减少更是让这些女工的经济情况雪上加霜。
The ILO warns that unemployment across the Asia-Pacific region could rise by over 25 million this year, to more than 110 million across the region. '
国际劳工组织瞀告说,亚洲和太平洋地区今年的失业人口将增加2500万人以上，整个地区的失业人口因此将超过1.1亿人。
United Nations data show the region accounts for around two-third of the world's total employment, China, India, Indonesia, Russia, Bangladesh, Japan and Pakistan make up flae bulk of that work force.
联合国的数据显示,亚太地区就业人口占全球就业人口的2/3,其中绝大部分来自中国、印度、印度尼西亚、俄罗斯、孟加拉国、日本和巴基斯坦。
Lucia Victor Jayaseelan, executive coordinator with the Committee for Asian Women, says in Cambodia she recently met women from the hard-hit garment industry, who face uncertain futures.
亚洲妇女委员会的总协调员卢西亚维克多贾亚辛兰表示，她最近在柬埔寨见到了一些受到经济危机冲击的制衣厂的女工，她们的未来是个未知数。
“They were working without pay because feey couldn’t go home，” said Jayaseelan. “And they were so used to working and hoping and believing that the industries, the factories would be giving them some money at some point. Three months no salary; which meant they had to live, pay their rent, school for their children, remit money back to rural areas—all that went.”
因为不能回家,即使没有报酬她们也一直在工作。她们已经习惯工作了,她们希望而且相信工厂在某个时间会给她们一些钱的。3个月没有领到工资,但她们必须生活,必须支付房租，为孩子交学费,往农村的家里寄钱等等。”
The ILO and labor rights workers are calling on regional governments to boost social protection programs, especially those that can help women laid off from work. They also say government economic stimulus packages need to focus on building up rural infrastructure that would most benefit women and children.
国际劳工组织和劳工权益工作者呼吁亚太地区政府加强社会保障项目，特别是可以帮助失业女工的项目。他们还说,政府的经济刺激计划必须以建设乡村基础设施为主，只有这样妇女和儿童才会获得最大的好处。
