Marshall Islands

Located in the Pacific ocean and officially renamed in 1982 the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) is an independent island nation (70 sq. miles of land spread out over 750,000 sq. miles of ocean) that is part of the larger island group of Micronesia.

Micronesian colonists occupied the islands some 4,000 years ago. Since the First World War, the nation has been colonized by a range of nations, among them Japan, the United States of America and Spain. The Marshallese left the Congress of Micronesia in 1973 resulting in their full independence, which was recognized by the US in 1979. In 1991 they joined the United Nations.

The RMI is a parliamentary republic with an executive presidency in a compact of free association with the US providing defense, subsidies, and access to U.S.-based agencies such as the Federal Communications Commission and the US postal service. This current compact ends in 2023.

As of July 2021, the estimated population was 78,000. More than 95% of the population are members of a protestant sect e.g. United Church of Christ 55% or the Assembly of God 25%. Approximately 1.5% claim no religious affiliation. Many foreign-born residents and workers are also Christian, and the majority of non-Christians are foreign born.[ref]The U.S. government estimates the total population at 78,000 (midyear 2020
estimate). https://www.state.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/240282-MARSHALL-ISLANDS-2020-INTERNATIONAL-RELIGIOUS-FREEDOM-REPORT.pdf[/ref]

Constitution and government Education and children’s rights Family, community, society, religious courts and tribunals Freedom of expression advocacy of humanist values
Constitution and government
Family, community, society, religious courts and tribunals
Use of Conscientious Objection clauses resulting in the denial of lawful services to women and LGBTI+ people
Religious or ideological instruction is mandatory in all or most state-funded schools with no secular or humanist alternative
Insufficient information or detail not included in this report
Insufficient information or detail not included in this report

Countries: Kazakhstan

The state is secular, with separation of religious and political authorities, not discriminating against any religion or belief
Insufficient information or detail not included in this report
No fundamental restrictions on freedom of expression or advocacy of humanist values
Insufficient information or detail not included in this report

Countries: no countries relate to this boundary condition

No condition holds in this strand
No condition holds in this strand

Countries: Andorra

No condition holds in this strand
Religious courts or tribunals rule directly on some family or ‘moral’ matters; it is legally an opt-in system, but the possibility of social coercion is very clear
No condition holds in this strand

Countries: no countries relate to this boundary condition

Localised or infrequent but recurring and widespread social marginalisation or prejudice against the non-religious

This condition is unusual in that it is applied in cases where there is some social discrimination, but it is not pervasive or nationwide. This condition is applied when there is sufficient background evidence to warrant the assertion that discrimination is not anomalous but widespread, and this condition may be applied for example even where if there is no legislative discrimination or where the non-religious may have legal recourse against such discrimination. However, societal discrimination (i.e. discrimination by peers, as opposed to state or legal discrimination) is not easily measured, and for this reason the Report does not currently have similar more severe boundary conditions to capture higher levels of social discrimination per se. In principle these may be introduced in future. However, we consider that countries with actual higher levels of social discrimination against the non-religious will generally already meet other higher level (more severe) boundary conditions under this thematic strand.

The dominant influence of religion in public life undermines the right to equality and/or non-discrimination

Applied when the influence of religion on public life undermines others’ rights, such as SRHR, women’s rights, LGBTI+ rights.

May be applied when the influence is overt (i.e. when religious laws are applied to undermine others’ rights) or covert (i.e. where religious pressure groups exert influence to affect policy)

The non-religious are persecuted socially or there are prohibitive social taboos against atheism, humanism or secularism
Complete tyranny precludes all freedoms of expression and thought, religion or belief

Applied when overriding acts of oppression by the State are extreme, to the extent that the question of freedom of thought and expression is almost redundant, because all human rights and freedoms are quashed by authorities.

Countries: North Korea

Expression of core Humanist principles on democracy, freedom and human rights is brutally repressed
Expression of non-religious views is severely persecuted, or is rendered almost impossible by severe social stigma, or is highly likely to be met with hatred or violence
There is significant social marginalisation of the non-religious or stigma associated with expressing atheism, humanism or secularism
Religious or ideological indoctrination is utterly pervasive in schools
There is a nominal state church with few privileges or progress is being made toward disestablishment

Countries: Bulgaria, Norway, Peru, Rwanda

The non-religious are barred from some government offices (including posts reserved for particular religions or sects)
‘Apostasy’ is outlawed and punishable with a prison sentence

Countries: Bahrain, Comoros, Jordan, Kuwait

‘Apostasy’ or conversion from a specific religion is outlawed and punishable by death
Some religious courts rule in civil or family matters on a coercive or discriminatory basis
Religious authorities have supreme authority over the state

Countries: Iran

State legislation is partly derived from religious law or by religious authorities
Preferential treatment is given to a religion or religion in general

This condition is applied where there are miscellaneous indicators that organs of the state offer various forms of support for a religion, or to religion in general over non-religious worldviews, suggesting a preference for those beliefs, or that the organs of that religion are privileged.

There is a pattern of impunity or collusion in violence by non-state actors against the nonreligious
State-funded schools provide religious education which may be nominally comprehensive but is substantively biased or borderline confessional
Religious or ideological instruction in a significant number of schools is of a coercive fundamentalist or extremist variety

This condition highlights countries where schools subject children to fundamentalist religious instruction with no real opportunity to question fundamentalist tenets, or where lessons routinely encourage hatred (for example religious or ethnic hatred). The wording “significant number of schools” is not given a rigid quantification (sometimes the worst-offending schools are unregistered, illegal, or otherwise uncounted); however the condition is not applied in cases where only a small number of schools meet the description and may be anomalous, as opposed to being indicative of a widespread problem.

State legislation is largely or entirely derived from religious law or by religious authorities
Anomalous discrimination by local or provincial authorities, or overseas territories
Religious or ideological instruction is mandatory in at least some public schools (without secular or humanist alternatives)
‘Blasphemy’ or criticism of religion is outlawed and punishable by death
Government figures or state agencies openly marginalize, harass, or incite hatred or violence against the non-religious
Government authorities push a socially conservative, religiously or ideologically inspired agenda, without regard to the rights of those with progressive views
It is illegal to advocate secularism or church-state separation, or such advocacy is suppressed
Prohibitive interreligious social control (including interreligious marriage bans)
Quasi-divine veneration of a ruling elite is enforced, or a single-party regime holds uncontested power, subject to severe punishment
Legal or constitutional provisions exclude non-religious views from freedom of belief
It is illegal to register an explicitly Humanist, atheist, secularist or other non-religious NGO or other human rights organization, or such groups are persecuted by authorities
There is a religious tax or tithing which is compulsory, or which is state-administered and discriminates by precluding non-religious groups
The non-religious are barred from holding government office
Some concerns about children's right to specifically religious freedom

This condition may apply if specifically religious education, religious materials, or specific religious denominations are so tightly controlled that children are in fact over-protected from exposure to religion and are likely unable to explore or construct their own worldview in accordance with their evolving capacities. This condition helps us to classify states (perhaps with secular constitutions) which have criminalized specifically religious beliefs or practices. This condition is not applied if the restricted beliefs or practices are found to be outlawed due to their being of an extremist variety. While this condition does not directly reflect discrimination against non-religious persons or non-religious ideas, it does represent an overall threat to freedom of thought, conscience, religion or belief; such restrictions could spill over to affect non-religious beliefs later; and they pose a risk of backlash against over-zealous secular authorities or even against non-religious individuals by association.

It is illegal or unrecognised to identify as an atheist or as non-religious
It is made difficult to register or operate an explicitly Humanist, atheist, secularist or other non-religious NGO or other human rights organization
 
Systemic Discrimination
Mostly Satisfactory
Free and Equal

Constitution and government

A preamble to the Constitution[ref]https://rmiparliament.org/cms/constitution.html[/ref] states:

“WE, THE PEOPLE OF THE REPUBLIC OF THE MARSHALL ISLANDS, trusting in God, the Giver of our life, liberty, identity and our inherent rights……”

Although there is no official state religion, Christianity is the dominant social and cultural influence. Governmental functions, by continuing custom, often begin and end with a minister or church official delivering a Christian prayer. According to local residents, prayers before and after events are a longstanding cultural practice and part of the widely accepted tradition of the country.[ref]https://www.state.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/240282-MARSHALL-ISLANDS-2020-INTERNATIONAL-RELIGIOUS-FREEDOM-REPORT.pdf[/ref]

Section 1 of the Constitution and other laws and policies protect freedom of religion or belief, as well as freedom of opinion and expression. These rights are generally respected in practice. Restrictions to these rights may be applied provided they are “necessary to preserve public peace, order, health, or security or the rights or freedoms of others”, however, such restrictions must “not penalize conduct on the basis of disagreement with the ideas or beliefs expressed” (Section 1, Subsection 2(c)).

The Constitution provides for the free exercise of religion and equal protection under the law, regardless of religious beliefs. There are no legislative restrictions on religious practices.

The Constitution expressly permits the government to extend financial aid to religious groups to provide non-profit services (educational, medical, or social). Such services may not discriminate between “religious groups”.

There are no requirements for the registration of religious groups, but if religious groups register as a non-profit corporation or a cooperative, they may qualify for tax exemptions.

Education and children’s rights

There is no religious education in public schools and no opening or closing prayers during the school day. However, most extracurricular school events begin and end with an interdenominational Christian prayer delivered by a minister.

The State provides funding to private schools, including those with a religious affiliation; funding for private schools is only distributed once the State has ensured that the basic needs of the public school system have been met. In 2020, this amounted to $795,000 shared across all private schools, based on a combination of enrolment, test results, and accreditation.[ref]https://www.state.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/240282-MARSHALL-ISLANDS-2020-INTERNATIONAL-RELIGIOUS-FREEDOM-REPORT.pdf[/ref]

Family, community and society

A highly religious society, with most of the native population belonging to a variety of Christian groups, the US State Department reports that protestant parishioners have felt pressured to give substantial amounts of money to their church or face the threat of severe penalties from church leaders, such as being demoted within the hierarchy of the church or excommunication. There were reports of devout church members giving so much of their income to the church to meet the requirements and stay in good standing with the church that their families would occasionally go without basic food essentials.

Ahmadiyya Muslim Community representatives reported some low-level harassment stemming from harmful preconceptions of Islam, which Ahmadi leaders are working to dispel. Some such harassment has included encouraging them to leave the country.[ref]https://www.state.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/240282-MARSHALL-ISLANDS-2020-INTERNATIONAL-RELIGIOUS-FREEDOM-REPORT.pdf[/ref]

LGBTQ+ rights

While homosexuality is legal in the RMI, same-sex marriage remains unrecognized.[ref]https://www.equaldex.com/region/marshall-islands; https://opendocs.ids.ac.uk/opendocs/bitstream/handle/20.500.12413/16572/970_LGBT_rights_and_inclusion_in_SIDS.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y [/ref]

Freedom of expression, advocacy of humanist values

Freedoms of expression and association are protected by law and respected in practice.[ref]https://freedomhouse.org/country/marshall-islands/freedom-world/2021[/ref]