Elizabeth Zion: The need for family reunification -- to make families whole again | TED

Transcriber: Leslie Gauthier Reviewer:

翻译人员: Jenny Lou 校对人员: Yanyan Hong

(Irish) Dia duit.

(爱尔兰语) 你好。

(Yoruba) Bawo ní.

（约鲁巴语）你好。

(English) My name is Elizabeth.

（英文）我的名字是伊丽莎白。

I am 18 years old,

我十八岁，

and I am a second-year university student in Dublin.

是一名在都柏林的大二学生。

And I would like to share a glimpse into my beginnings.

我想分享一些我的过去。

Prior to my birth,

在我出生之前，

my mother,

我的母亲

who was born in a Muslim family,

出生在一个穆斯林家庭，

converted to Christianity.

皈依基督教。

And she faced persecution from her family,

因此，她遭受了家人的迫害，

who were all Muslims at the time,

当时他们都是穆斯林，

and fled Nigeria to escape religious persecution

所以她逃离尼日利亚 为了躲避宗教迫害，

and to fight for a better life for my four siblings and I,

也为了给我和四个兄弟姐妹 争取更好的生活，

of which I am the youngest.

我是最小的一个。

She tried to get asylum in a number of countries

她试图在许多国家获得庇护

and eventually got a letter of acceptance

并最终收到了来自一个小国家的

from a relatively small country known as Ireland.

批准函，也就是爱尔兰。

Ireland accepted her application,

爱尔兰接受了她的申请，

and while her case was pending,

而在她的申请悬而未决的时候，

we were given housing

我们被安置在了位于爱尔兰西部

in a small town in the West of Ireland called Clifden,

一个叫克利夫登小镇，

in one of the country’s Direct Provision centers.

也是该国直属的收容中心之一。

And so began the wait for my arrival.

接下来开始等待我的降生。

My due date was July 13th,

我的预产期是 7 月 13 日，

which was also the day that my father was born.

这也是我父亲出生的日子。

But I refused,

但我拒绝了，

and decided that I preferred to be born on the 16th.

觉得还是 16 号出生更好。

And so I was born in my mother’s room

所以脐带缠在我的脖子上，

with the umbilical cord wrapped around my neck.

我出生了在我妈妈房间里。

I was actually believed to be the first child to be born in Clifden,

在 15 年间，我是第一个

as opposed to in the hospital,

在克利夫登

in 15 years.

没在医院里出生的孩子。

I even made the local news.

我甚至惊动了当地的新闻。

I guess persistence and stubbornness pays off.

我觉得坚持与执着是有回报的。

And my mom still has a newspaper that detailed my arrival story

我妈妈到现在还有一份报纸关于

to this day.

我出生时的详细情况。

So you could say I had a rocky start to life.

所以你可以说我有一个 艰难的人生开端。

Other than the fact that I was born on the floor,

除了我出生在地板上的事实，

I was literally born into a system

我是真的出生在一个

that has been criticized by human rights organizations as illegal,

被人权组织批评为非法、

inhumane and degrading.

不人道和有辱人格的系统中。

But I’ve denied my beginnings the ability to dictate my end.

但我否认了我的开始将 决定我的结局。

After I was born,

在我出生以后，

my siblings were granted residence here,

我的兄弟姐妹获准在这里居住，

and it was a relief for her to have all of her children with her.

这对她来说是一种解脱因为 她所有的孩子都可以和她在一起。

But what she didn’t have was her husband ...

但是她的丈夫依然没有在她身边……

my father ...

我的爸爸……

her biggest support in the journey.

是她在旅途中最大的支持。

And now after 18 years,

然后现在 18 年以后，

multiple rejected visa applications,

他经历了多次拒绝签证申请，

countless trips to the immigration offices

无数次前往移民局，

and hundreds of visits to various different lawyers and solicitors,

无数次拜访各种 不同的律师和事务律师，

my father is yet to be granted access to join his family here.

他依然没能被准许 来这里与他的家人团聚。

And growing up without him has been the hardest part.

没有他的成长很艰难。

So the topic of this talk today

所以今天演讲的题目，

is the need for family reunification

是家庭团聚的必要性，

and the effects of one-parent households on children.

以及单亲家庭对儿童的影响。

We often spend time talking about how children are the future

我们经常花时间聊关于孩子的未来，

and how it’s necessary and crucial for us to lay good foundations for them

以及我们为他们打下 良好的基础的必要性和关键性

so they have equal opportunities to succeed.

来让他们有一样的机率成功。

But the first and most important foundations in a child’s life

但是一个在一个孩子的生命里的 第一个和最重要的基础

are laid at home. within the family structure.

发生在家里，是家庭的结构。

And think about it:

让我们来想一下：

when you have two parents who want to be in your life,

当你有两个想在你生活中的父母，

having both parents around and involved means having access

两个父母在身边 和参与意味着可以获得

to more of the economic and community resources available,

更多的经济和可用的社区资源，

as both parents are willing

因为两个家长都愿意

to invest their time, energy and money into the well-being of their children.

花他们的时间、精力和金钱 来让他们的孩子更幸福。

And so I often imagine

所以我经常想象

how different life would be if my father was here.

如果我的爸爸在身边。 我的生活会多么不同。

If my father was here,

如果我的爸爸在身边，

I would have never had to witness my mother painstakingly try her best

我就从来不会目睹 妈妈煞费苦心地拼尽全力

to raise my two sisters and I along with my two brothers alone.

独自抚养我和我的两位姐妹和两位哥哥。

There is not one day

从来没有一天，

I have not heard her beg God for the strength to raise us.

我没有听见她求着上帝 来得到继续养育我们的力量。

Her earnest prayers have been the backdrop of my sleep

她恳切的祈祷变成了 我入睡前的背景声，

and my only lullaby for as long as I can remember.

和我唯一记得的的安眠曲。

She’s only one person,

她只有自己，

so she needed his strength to be in five places at once,

所以她需要神的力量一次出现在五个地方，

as my siblings and I all had our different issues

因为我和我的兄弟姐妹 都有各自的问题，

and problems to deal with that we needed her there for --

然后我们需要她的存在来处理那些问题——

but all the while struggling to maintain a good relationship with my father,

但她还需要一直在努力维持

和千里之外的父亲关系。

who is thousands of miles away.

Or what it would have meant

或者是说就像是

to see my father at my recitals or at my brothers’ matches.

在我的独奏会上 或在我兄弟的比赛中，

None of us would have ever been left staring into a crowd of parents,

我们从来不会望着观众群里的父母们，

disappointed that our own parents,

因为我们最大的支持者，

our biggest supporters,

我们的父母

couldn’t be there.

不在场而感到失望。

And I’m certain we would have escaped experiencing homelessness

我也很确定如果我的爸爸在身边，

if my father was here.

我会从无家可归的感觉中逃离。

For months, my family and I were homeless.

在数月内，我和我的家人无家可归。

Finding housing in Ireland is difficult enough already,

在爱尔兰寻找住房已经够难了，

but just imagine how challenging it is for a single mother,

但想一下对单身妈妈来说，

trying desperately to provide for her five children.

她拼尽全力照顾 她的五个孩子是多有挑战性。

In fact, at times it’s virtually impossible,

事实上，有时这几乎是不可能的，

which is how my family and I ended up homeless.

我的家人就是这样， 我最终无家可归。

And I remember the first night we spent at the emergency accommodation hostel.

我记得我们的第一个晚上 是在紧急住宿宿舍度过的。

My mother, siblings and I all gathered to pray

我的妈妈，兄弟姐妹和我 都聚集在一起祈祷，

because we knew that the only thing we had left to depend on

因为我们知道唯一的事情 我们能依赖的

was God and his mercy.

是上帝和他的怜悯。

It was a tearful night.

那是一个泪流满面的夜晚。

And we had many more of those

在接下来七个月 我们无家可归的时间里，

in the following seven months of our homelessness.

我们还有更多类似的。

And I could give you all of the statistics about family separation around the world

我可以给你所有的统计数据 关于世界各地的家庭分离，

or the harm it does children

或者当想抚养他们的父母

when they have parents who want to be together raising them

被剥夺了这个机会

but are denied the chance to do so.

对孩子们的伤害。

But we don’t need statistics or case studies

但我们不需要统计或案例研究

to justify the need for family reunification.

来证明家庭团聚的必要性。

Because the idea that families should be together,

因为家庭应该在一起，

deserve to be together,

值得在一起的理念，

is a fundamental human right.

是一项基本人权。

It doesn't arise from research evidence or government charts.

它不是来自研究证据 或政府图表。

The right to be with your family,

与家人在一起

to be loved and cared for by your family,

和被家人爱护的权利存在

exists because you exist.

是因为你的存在。

It is the right of all humans.

这是所有人的权利。

And according to the United Nations Convention of the Rights of the Child,

而且根据《联合国儿童权利公约》，

Article 9 states

第 9 条规定说，

that children must not be separated from their parents against their will

孩子们不能在违背他们意愿的情况下 和他们的父母分开，

unless it is in their best interest.

除非这是为了他们好，

And children whose parents are separated have the right

和父母分开的孩子有权利

to stay in contact with them

与他们保持联系，

unless this would cause them harm.

除非这会对他们造成伤害。

And we don’t have to document that harm to show its magnitude

我们不必记录这种伤害 显示其大小，

and for those rights to be vital and central and urgent,

和这些权利至关的重要性、 中心性和紧急性，

even though, of course, those harms are indeed very real.

即使，这些危害确确实实。

I remember a time, when I was about seven years old,

我记得有一次， 在我七岁左右的时候，

and I had been tucked into bed by my mom,

妈妈在床上抱着我，

and I had a sudden realization

然后我突然意识到

that I couldn’t remember what my father even looked like anymore.

我不记得父亲长得什么样。

I began to cry to her,

我开始对她哭，

as it felt like the waves of time had wiped away his image from my mind.

因为我感觉就像时间的波浪 已经从我的脑海中抹去了他的形象。

My memories of him consisted of pictures

我对他大部分的的记忆

and her stories of him

由照片和她讲述的关于他的故事

for the longest time.

而组成。

And now that my siblings and I are all grown up,

现在我的兄弟姐妹 和我都长大了，

I hear him lamenting to my mother over the phone

我听到他哀叹给我妈妈打电话

about just how much he’s missed out on.

关于他错过了多少。

It deeply pains him

这让他很痛苦

that he doesn’t know life with his daughters as women

因为他没能见证自己的女儿成长为女人，

and his sons as men.

自己的儿子成长为男人的生活。

And each day my yearnings grow stronger

每一天我想和他一起享受生活的渴望

to enjoy life with him now that he’s getting older,

都变得更强烈，因为他的年纪大了

and for him to enjoy the fruits of his labor.

并让他享受他的劳动成果。

He was never given the chance to hold my hand as I took my first steps.

他从来没有机会 在我迈出第一步时握住我的手，

But I pray I get the chance to hold his

但我祈祷我有机会握住他的手，

when he needs my help to walk

当他走向迟暮之年

In his old age.

需要我搀扶走路的时候。

As many of you already know,

正如大家已经知道的那样，

the issue of family reunification is more than just an Irish issue.

家庭团聚问题 不仅仅是爱尔兰问题，

It's indeed a global issue,

这是一个全球性的问题，

and it has been highlighted by the recent takeover in Afghanistan

最近对阿富汗的控制

and the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

和持续的以巴冲突证实了这一点。

The sheer amount of families who have been displaced

数量之多的、无家可归的家庭

and the thousands of unaccompanied children arriving

和成千上万 无人陪伴的儿童抵达

on the shores of countries all over the world,

世界各地的沿海，

Ireland included.

包括爱尔兰。

If there are parents who want to be together raising their children,

如果有家长想要一起抚养孩子，

no government should ever stand in their way

任何政府都不应该挡他们的路

but should instead find ways to reunite families who have been broken up by war,

而是应该想办法重聚 因战争而破碎的家庭、

persecution,

迫害、

immigration

移民，

and all sorts,

以及各种，

but still have a desire to be together.

但还是应得一起。

We need governments to take into account the stories of young people like myself,

我们需要政府考虑像我这样的 年轻人的故事，

whose families have been needlessly separated.

他们的家人被迫分离，

By expanding safe and legal pathways for families to migrate together,

通过扩大家庭 共同移民的安全和合法途径，

whether that be migrant workers and their children

无论是移民工人和他们的孩子

or refugees,

或难民，

families have a greater chance of staying unified.

家庭应当有更大的机会聚在一起。

We need governments to accelerate reunification applications,

我们需要政府加速家庭申请，

and we need them to address

并且我们需要他们解决

the bureaucratic and political barriers to reunification

阻挡世界各地家庭团聚的

for families all over the world.

官僚和政治障碍。

My father is a gentle, loving man

我的父亲是一个温柔、有爱心的男人

and the role model I have always needed.

以及我一直需要的榜样。

He’s a man of great integrity

他是一个非常正直的人，

and a passionate, loyal advocate for the welfare of his family.

他是一位热情、忠诚的家庭幸福倡导者，

His love doesn't announce itself when it enters into a room.

当他走进房间时，他不会直白地表达爱，

It’s a quiet type of love,

他的爱尽在不言中，

but it knows no bounds for his family.

但对他对家人的爱永无止境。

So ...

所以……

I cannot possibly begin to express

我做不到开始诉说

how devastating it would be

如果我们继续这样的生活

to continue living life this way,

是多具毁灭性，

especially when I know that my father loves me

尤其是当我知道我父亲爱我，

and wants to be in my life.

并想进入我的生活。

I want my father to join me here in Ireland,

我要我爸爸和我一起在爱尔兰，

the country that my family and I are proud to call home.

这个我与我的家人都自豪 将之称为“家”的国家。

And I want all families to be made whole,

我希望所有的家庭都能完整，

to be reunified,

都能团聚，

to be together,

都能在一起，

as is our right.

因为这是我们的权利。

Thank you.

谢谢。