Micronesia

The Federated States of Micronesia is a nation located in the western Pacific Ocean and made up of more than 600 individual islands which are ruled by a parliamentary republic without established political parties. A high percentage of the population is religious, with a majority declaring themselves to be Christian.[ref]https://countryeconomy.com/demography/religions/micronesia[/ref]

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

The Constitution and government of Micronesia protect religious freedom and ensure religious equality for all. The Constitution and other laws and policies protect freedom of thought, conscience and religion, as well as freedom of opinion and expression. These rights are generally respected in practice.

The Constitution explicitly forbids the establishment of a state religion or governmental restrictions on freedom of religion, “except that assistance may be provided to parochial schools for nonreligious purposes” (Section 2, Article IV).[ref]https://www.constituteproject.org/constitution/Micronesia_1990.pdf?lang=en[/ref]

However, Government functions normally open and close with a prayer, invocation, or benediction from a Protestant or Catholic pastor or lay deacon, and often from one of each.[ref]https://www.state.gov/reports/2021-report-on-international-religious-freedom/micronesia/[/ref]

Education and children’s rights

Religious instruction is absent in public schools, which are secular. The government provides grants to private religious (church-affiliated) schools. As stated under the Constitution, such grants must be used only for activities which are not religious in nature. Private religious schools may deliver religious instruction in addition to the national curriculum.[ref]https://www.state.gov/reports/2021-report-on-international-religious-freedom/micronesia/[/ref]

Family, community and society

We know of no reports of individuals being directly discriminated against for irreligiosity. However, there are a few reports concerning prejudice against other belief minorities. For example, Ahmadiyya Muslims in Kosrae State reported in 2018 that they faced slow police responses to incidents of discrimination and vandalism; and some Christians on social media advocated amending the Constitution to prohibit the presence of non-Christian religious groups.[ref]https://www.state.gov/reports/2019-report-on-international-religious-freedom/micronesia/[/ref]

Custom, traditions and gender equality

The UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) has expressed concern about “the persistence of adverse cultural norms and practices as well as deep-rooted discriminatory stereotypes regarding the roles and responsibilities of women and men in the family and in society.” The Committee argues that such stereotypes and practices result in women’s “disadvantaged status in marriage and family relations and contribute to the high prevalence of gender-based violence against women.”[ref]CEDAW Committee, Concluding observations on the combined initial to third
periodic reports of the Federated States of Micronesia (2017), CEDAW/C/FSM/CO/1-3
[/ref]

“Culture” is frequently invoked as justification for discrimination and violence against women and girls. Early marriage is reportedly common in Micronesia, and cases of gender-based violence are frequently underreported due to cultural beliefs around preserving family “honor.” The Sexual Rights Information of Micronesia reports that there is “a culture of silence and stigma, especially when it occurs within the “sanctuary” of the home.”[ref]http://www.mulabilatino.org/epu/9th%20round/Micronesia.pdf[/ref]

Constitutional provisions also allow for the preference of tradition over formal provisions. For instance, a section in the Constitution on “Traditional Rights” provides that no other provision in the Constitution “takes away a role or function of a traditional leader as recognized by custom and tradition, or prevents a traditional leader from being recognized, honored, and given formal or functional roles at any level of government as may be prescribed by this Constitution or by statute.” The same section provides that, “the traditions of the people of the Federated States of Micronesia may be protected by statute” and that, if any tradition is challenged as violative of a right protected under Article IV of the Constitution, the “protection of Micronesian tradition shall be considered a compelling social purpose warranting governmental action.”[ref]https://www.constituteproject.org/constitution/Micronesia_1990.pdf?lang=en[/ref]

Freedom of expression, advocacy of humanist values

The Constitution protects freedom of expression and media freedom, and journalists and media professionals generally operate in a safe environment.[ref]https://www.upr-info.org/sites/default/files/documents/2021-02/a_hrc_wg.6_37_micronesia_1_en.pdf[/ref]