GIFF JOHNSON
There are policies and procedures in place that in theory offer victims of sexual assault, domestic violence and sexual harassment an opportunity to address these problems.
But the actual implementation is often where we find women left confused, angry and unhappy at the responses received, delays in action by authorities, or simply the silence that follows a report being made.
In Journal interviews with multiple victims of sexual assault and sexual harassment, what stands out is first, the cultural norms that prevail in the Marshall Islands making it extremely challenging for a woman to come forward to authorities when she is victimized. But perhaps worse is that once a woman works up the courage to go against the advice of other women or men in her family and is willing to make a report to authorities, the response she receives in male-dominated law enforcement can be equally problematic and possibly more traumatic.
At Kwajalein, for example, according to women who came forward with complaints late last year about sexual harassment, the Marshall Islands Police Department was slow to conduct an investigation — and even today, months later, may not have conducted a basic investigation so that a report of the incidents get into the law enforcement system.
Similarly, women who took complaints to authorities at the US Army Garrison, Kwajalein Atoll were shocked at the treatment they received when they were told that they couldn’t use their preferred translators to make the reports.
In another instance, dating back over a year, women at Kwajalein claim that one Marshallese who lodged a formal complaint about sexual harassment was terminated from her job not long after she made the report. That incident sent the message to other women working for Army contractors of the risk to their jobs if they come forward when they experience sexual harassment or assaults, according to women at Kwajalein.
The Army states, however, that: “Victims of sexual harassment and sexual assault are treated with fairness, dignity and respect at all times … Retaliation and retribution towards the victim are strictly not allowed.”
But women say the reality of the situation doesn’t match the words on paper.
In light of the fact that multiple surveys of RMI women by the national women’s group WUTMI and United Nations agencies report that over 50 percent of island women report they have been victimized at some point in their lives by sexual or domestic violence, it should be no surprise that this happens in the workplace or generally in the life of women in this country.
USAG-KA authorities, in response to questions from the Journal, report that the garrison has various policies in place to address this issue.
“USAG-KA and all tenant Garrison Organizations follow US Army and Department of War Sexual Harassment/Assault Response and Prevention (SHARP) Regulations and Policies,” said the USAG-KA Host Nation Office. “USAG-KA encourages victims and/or witnesses to report incidents of sexual assault and harassment without fear of retribution, intimidation, or retaliation. Army policy is generally available on public facing websites such as https://armypubs.army.mil/default.aspx and https://www.armyresilience.army.mil/sharp/.”
The Army points to various of its own regulations and adds: “Questions regarding internal company policies of contractor organizations may be obtained directly from those companies.”
But the question remains, how does the process play out in practice? And this applies in Majuro and Kwajalein in RMI jurisdictions.
For example, a number of women reported to MIPD about harassment incidents. Then, when a few months went by without any further action or response from authorities, they requested a copy of their reports — and couldn’t get one because police authorities put them off, according to women involved.
If women see how the male-dominated structure operates in reality, it increases reluctance to come forward. And the overlapping bureaucracy, particularly at USAG-KA, that involves various Army contractors as well as Army entities and offices as well as overlap with MIPD jurisdiction, often results in a woman’s report languishing amidst the bureaucracy and one office saying they are waiting for another office’s report — or asking the woman who came forward if she reported this to another office, which she needs to do, and on and on.
The Army has a program known as SHARP — Sexual Harassment/Assault Response and Prevention — for preventing sexual violence and providing advocacy for victims. This office exists at USAG-KA.
Last year, according to information from women at Kwajalein, in response to reports of Marshallese women being sexually harassed by a security officer at Roi-Namur Island, representatives of SHARP and WUTMI went to Roi to meet with the victims and get their statements. One of these victims went to the Provost Marshals Office (PMO) as well, while two other victims attempted to provide the Provost Marshals Office with their information but weren’t allowed to use translators they were comfortable with.
“To add more complexity to this, PMO and National Police both say they can’t take the statements from WUTMI nor SHARP because they are not police,” one of the victims told the Journal. “So why does authority tell women to report when, in this case, they wouldn’t take these reports? From the get-go, Kwajalein did not have a clear system.”
Two weeks ago, one of the female victims of sexual harassment at Kwajalein asked Army authorities for a no contact order against an Army police officer. The Journal was told that the young woman who works at a USAG-KA location “fears for her safety now” that the police officer who she and several other women have filed complaints against for sexual harassment was back on the job.
And a misdemeanor case brought against the same officer by the RMI Attorney General’s Office last year has seen repeated delays of a hearing in the District Court at Ebeye. It is reported that it may come for a hearing later this month.
For the women involved, what they see is a bureaucratic maze, where they are bounced back and forth without result, and only the most aggressive follow up gains a response. Coupled with the humble nature of Marshallese society, language barriers, and worry about whether they will face retribution for reporting incidents adds up to a very difficult environment for women to lodge reports, let alone gain a satisfactory result.
Below are a couple of the questions asked by the Journal to USAG-KA authorities and their responses.
Journal: One point several women who lodged harassment complaints against the officer raised is that the check-in/out area at Roi lacks security cameras, meaning what happens there is not recorded. Is there a reason for no security cameras at the clearance/screening area on Roi?
USAG-KA Host Nation Office: Due to operational security, the Garrison will not provide comment on specific force protection or physical security procedures. As with any other military Garrison, we do incorporate various surveillance and monitoring equipment as part of the installation’s security.
Journal: Given that two commanders previously issued no-contact orders for a USAG-KA security officer, and he faces multiple complaints from women—including a pending criminal charge in RMI District Court on Ebeye — why is he still working? The RMI police follow the protocol of placing an officer on administrative leave pending the outcome when that officer faces criminal charges. What is USAG-KA’s policy on this for its security officers and generally for workers at USAG-KA?
USAG-KA: As a general rule, we do not disclose information about internal personnel matters that pertain to individual employees or contractors. We take all reports of workplace harassment seriously. When such reports are received, they are evaluated and referred for appropriate inquiry as required. Any individual found guilty of violating sexual harassment and assault policies are punishable under the Uniform Code of Military Justice and other federal and local laws. Victims of sexual harassment and sexual assault are treated with fairness, dignity and respect at all times. Safety for the victim is the primary consideration, particularly in cases of sexual violence. Retaliation and retribution towards the victim are strictly not allowed. Any incident of reprisal against a sexual harassment or sexual assault victim must be immediately brought to the attention of the Garrison Commander.
This article originally appeared in the May 8, 2026 print edition of the Marshall Islands Journal.