联合国秘书长潘基文2014年国际丧偶妇女日致辞（中英对照）

Message on International Widow’s Day

国际丧偶妇女日致辞

23 June 2014

2014年6月23日

No woman should lose her status, livelihood or property when her husband dies, yet millions of widows in our world face persistent abuse, discrimination, disinheritance and destitution.  Many are subjected to harmful practices such as widow burning and “widow cleansing” – an abhorrent ritual which often amounts to rape and increases the widow’s risk of HIV infection.  The impacts are also felt by their children and dependents.

任何妇女都不应因丈夫去世而丧失自己的地位、生计或财产，然而，世界上数百万寡妇长期以来面临虐待、歧视、继承权被剥夺和贫困。许多妇女被迫接受焚烧寡妇和“净化寡妇”等有害习俗——这种令人憎恶的仪式往往等同于强奸，增加了寡妇感染艾滋病毒的风险。她们的子女和家属也受到波及。

It is our collective responsibility to safeguard the human rights and dignity of widows, in line with the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and the Convention on the Rights of the Child.  On International Widow’s Day, let us pledge to take stronger action to empower women, promote gender equality and end all forms of violence against women.  Together, we can eliminate the challenges faced by widows around the world and allow them to realize their potential as equal members of society.

根据《消除对妇女一切形式歧视公约》和《儿童权利公约》的规定保障寡妇的人权和尊严，是我们的集体责任。值此国际寡妇日之际，让我们承诺采取更有力的行动，赋予妇女权能，促进性别平等，杜绝一切形式的暴力侵害妇女行为。如果我们共同努力，就能够消除世界上所有寡妇所面临的挑战，使之能够成为平等的社会成员，实现自己的潜能。