Cameron Sinclair: The refugees of boom-and-bust

翻译人员: Ting Gao 校对人员: Yvonne Fu

A few years ago, my eyes were opened

几年前，我初次目睹了

to the dark side of the construction industry.

房产建筑工业的阴暗面

In 2006, young Qatari students

2006年，几个年轻的卡塔尔学生

took me to go and see the migrant worker camps.

带我去探访了移民工人的住所

And since then I've followed the unfolding issue of worker rights.

自从那时起，我就开始密切关注建筑工人的权益的相关问题

In the last six months, more than 300 skyscrapers

在过去的6个月中，阿联酋多达300座在建的摩天大厦

in the UAE have been put on hold or canceled.

被迫暂停建造或取消

Behind the headlines that lay behind these buildings

在关于这些楼宇的头条新闻的背后，

is the fate of the often-indentured construction worker.

是一个个往往被遗忘的建筑工人的命运

1.1 million of them.

足足有110万之多

Mainly Indian, Pakistani, Sri Lankan

主要来自于印度，巴基斯坦，斯里兰卡，

and Nepalese, these laborers risk everything

的这些工人们，常常承担着失去一切的风险

to make money for their families back home.

在挣钱养活他们远在故乡的家人们

They pay a middle-man thousands of dollars to be there.

他们得付给约合几千美元的中介费才能到那里工作

And when they arrive, they find themselves in labor camps with no water,

然而当他们到达目的地的，却发现自己身处劳工营，没有饮水，

no air conditioning, and their passports taken away.

没有空调，然后自己的护照又被扣走

While it's easy to point the finger at local officials and higher authorities,

我们不难就这些情况指责那些当地官员和权力机关

99 percent of these people are hired by the private sector,

可百分之九十九的劳工都是被私有产业所雇佣的

and so therefore we're equally, if not more, accountable.

因此我们自己也同样负有责任。

Groups like Buildsafe UAE have emerged,

一些例如阿联酋安建(Buildsafe)的团体开始纷纷出现

but the numbers are simply overwhelming.

但是问题的数量确实惊人

In August 2008,

2008年8月的时候

UAE public officials noted

阿联酋的官方表明

that 40 percent of the country's 1,098 labor camps

全国1098个劳工营中，百分之四十

had violated minimum health and fire safety regulations.

都违反了最低健康及火灾安全标准

And last summer, more than 10,000 workers

去年夏天，超过一万名劳工

protested for the non-payment of wages,

一同抗议工资的拖欠

for the poor quality of food, and inadequate housing.

糟糕的食物和短缺的住房。

And then the financial collapse happened.

继而随着金融世界的崩盘，

When the contractors have gone bust,

包工头也纷纷的破产了

as they've been overleveraged like everyone else,

这些工人像所有人一样，被过度的压榨

the difference is everything goes missing,

但区别在于他们失去了一切

documentation, passports,

文件，护照

and tickets home for these workers.

归程的车票

Currently, right now, thousands of workers are abandoned.

现在呢，这一刻，数以千计的劳工们被无情的抛弃

There is no way back home.

没有办法回家

And there is no way, and no proof of arrival.

此外还没有办法证明他们当初合法入境

These are the boom-and-bust refugees.

这些就是那兴衰背后的难民

The question is, as a building professional,

我们所要提出的问题是：作为房建的专业人士，

as an architect, an engineer, as a developer,

无论你是建筑师，工程师，或是开发商

if you know this is going on,

如果你知道这些状况的发生

as we go to the sights every single week,

就像我们每周去工地查看时一样，

are you complacent or complicit

你会自满自足，并间接地

in the human rights violations?

去违背人权吗？

So let's forget your environmental footprint.

那么让我们暂时忘却你的环境足迹

Let's think about your ethical footprint.

转而关注你的道义足迹

What good is it

建造一个零炭平衡，能耗率高的建筑结构的同时

to build a zero-carbon, energy efficient complex,

创造这个奇迹的的劳动力，

when the labor producing this architectural gem

却受到极为不符道义的对待，

is unethical at best?

又有什么实在意义呢

Now, recently I've been told I've been taking the high road.

最近有人说我选择了崇高的方式

But, quite frankly, on this issue,

但是坦白的讲，在这个问题上

there is no other road.

实在是没有其他的方式了

So let's not forget who is really paying the price of this financial collapse.

所以让我们不要忘记是那一群体在为这次金融世界的坍塌来埋单

And that as we worry about our next job in the office,

当我们还在担心自己的下一份工作何去何从的时候

the next design that we can get, to keep our workers.

我们如何选择挽留自己劳工的最佳途径

Let's not forget these men, who are truly dying to work.

也让我们不要忘记这些拼了性命在工作的人们

Thank you.

谢谢大家

(Applause)

掌声