Editor’s Note: This article is available for you to read in Marshallese – listen in Marshallese – read in English.

Part 1: Still No Action to Address Claims of Harassment on Kwajalein

Part 2: Security Officer Faces Multiple Charges in RMI Court

Part 3: Women Seek Justice for Harassment on Roi-Namur

Juon security obija eo eṃōj ṇa ruōn ilo jikin kakien eo an RMI eaar wōnṃaanḷọk wōt im jerbal ilo Kwajalein ālkin aer lo ruōn

Ālikin ruo iiō, juon abṇōṇō jān juon kōrā in Majōl eo ej jerbal ilo Roi-Namur eṃōj an tōpar lok RMI High Court eo. Bōtaap ekkar ñan kōrā ro jorrāān in eaar jelet er, ewōr juon men eo eḷap an aorōk im ejjañin oktak. Rej aikuj wōt in loe emmaan eo raar kwaḷọk aer abṇōṇō ṇae ñe rej itok ñan jikin jerbal.

Ilo August 19, ro rej jutak ikijjien kien eo an RMI raar leṃaan ḷọk iṃaan court emān abṇōṇō ko ikijjien jorrāān kein ṇae security officer Phillip Harry āinwōt: sexual harassment, violence against women, fourth-degree sexual assault, im criminal trespass. Bōtaap ilo tōre in, men kein ruōn lein rej enoik bwe eaar kōṃṃani bōtaap rejjab kaṃool bwe Harry ewōr an bōd. Eṃōj karōk bwe Harry enaaj pād iṃaan court ilo September 21.

Jikin kōṃṃan nuuj im meḷeḷe eo ilo Majōl, Marshall Islands Journal, eaar ba bwe Harry ej jerbal ñan Chenega, juon koṃbani eo ej leḷọk jerbal in security ñan U.S. Army Garrison eo ioon Kwajalein Atoll.

Meñe eṃōj an jet kōrā kwaḷọk abṇōṇō ko aer ṇae Officer Harry kōn an kabṇōṇōik er ilo jekkar im ejjeḷọk mālim, charge ko Attorney General eo eaar leḷọk ñan court rej ikijjien juon jorrāān eo eaar waḷọk ilo Roi-Namur ilo December 2023.

Ekkar ñan peba ko jān court im Marshall Islands Journal eo kar kōnono kaki, ro rej jutak ikijjien kien rej ba bwe Harry eaar deḷọñ ilo ruum in kiki eo an kōrā eo, eo ej make iaan ie, ikōtaan 3 im 4 awa jibboñ. Rej ba bwe eaar kōṃṃane men ko rejjab jejjet im kōrā eo eaar jab kōṇaan. Kōrā eo eaar mijak im jañ, im prosecutor (lawyer) ro rej ba bwe Harry eaar pād ilo ruum eo enañin 20 minit ṃokta jān an diwōjḷọk.

Prosecutor ro rej bar ba bwe tokālik Harry eaar kōjerbal maroñ eo an ilo jikin jerbal eo ñan kamijak kōrā eo. Charge ko rej ba bwe tokālik kōrā eo eaar jako jān jerbal eo an ālikin an kwaḷọk ta eo eaar waḷọk ak bōk jikin.

Charge kein rejjab kobaik abṇōṇō ko jān bar lalem kōrā ro im rej ba bwe Harry eaar kabṇōṇōik er ilo jekkar, ekoba jibwe er ilo ejjeḷọk mālim ilo security checkpoint ko im deḷọñ ilo jikin kōbojak ko an kōrā ak public bathroom ko.

Im ilo tōre in keej in ej wōnṃaanḷọk ilo court, source ak meḷeḷe ko rej ba bwe Harry ej wōnṃaanḷọk wōt im jerbal in security ilo Roi-Namur im Kwajalein.

Security officer charged in RMI High Court continues to work on Roi-Namur despite pending investigation

After two years, a complaint by a Marshallese woman working on Roi-Namur has reached the RMI High Court. But according to women involved in the case, one important thing has not changed. They still have to see the man they reported when they come to work.

On August 19, RMI prosecutors filed four criminal charges against security officer Phillip Harry for: sexual harassment, violence against women, fourth-degree sexual assault, and criminal trespass. However, for now, these are only charges and not confirmation of guilt. Harry is scheduled to make an initial court appearance on September 21.

The Marshall Islands Journal reported that Harry works for Chenega, a company providing security services at U.S. Army Garrison–Kwajalein Atoll.

Though several complaints of harassment have been filed against Officer Harry, the charges filed by the Attorney General involve a particular incident on Roi-Namur in December 2023.

According to court documents reported by the Journal, prosecutors allege that Harry entered the woman’s private sleeping quarters between 3 and 4 in the morning and made unwanted advances toward her. The woman became frightened and cried, and prosecutors say Harry was in her room for nearly 20 minutes before leaving.

Prosecutors also allege that Harry later used his position of authority to intimidate the woman. The charges say she eventually left her job after reporting what happened.

These charges do not include complaints from at least five total women alleging harassment, like unwanted physical touch at security checkpoints and invasion of privacy in public bathrooms.

And, while the criminal case moves forward, sources say Harry continues working in security on Roi-Namur and Kwajalein.

Im ilo tōre in keej in ej wōnṃaanḷọk ilo court, source ak meḷeḷe ko rej ba bwe Harry ej wōnṃaanḷọk wōt im jerbal in security ilo Roi-Namur im Kwajalein. Menin ej meḷeḷein bwe jet iaan kōrā ro raar kwaḷọk aer abṇōṇō ṇae lein rej bar ioon e ñe rej etal ñan jikin jerbal. Source ak jet ro rej letok meḷeḷe ko raar ba ñan Chikin Melele bwe Harry eaar leḷọk an naan ñan kōrā rein ippān ri-jerbal in Majōl ro jet.

Kōrā ro im ro rej jutak likier raar kajjitōk bwe ro ewōr aer maroñ ren kōṃṃane bwe no-contact (jab atartar) kakien ko ren jerbal ilo aer jolọk Harry jān jerbal eo an ilo an keej in wōnṃaanḷọk.

Juon iaan kōrā ro eaar kwaḷọk joñan an mijak ñe ej loe Phillip ilo op eo ilo Roi, im eaar kōjerbal etan ilo kajin Majōl: “Eḷap aō lelōñlōñ im mijak ñe ij loe LaMami ilo op e Ruot.”

Chikin Melele eaar kajjitōk uwaak jān USAG-KA: eaar ba bwe rej lukkuun bōki abṇōṇō rot kein im jerbali ilo ṃool, kein im rej bōk jikier ilo jikin jerbal ko im kwaḷọk bwe ro im jorrāān kein rej jelet er ren maroñ kwaḷọk abṇōṇō ko aer ilo ejjeḷọk mijak elaññe renaaj juṃae ak kamijak er. Raar ba bwe rej etale aolep abṇōṇō ko, jilkinḷọk ñan jikin jerbal in etale ko rekkar, im etale jorrāān kein ekkar ñan U.S. Army Regulations im Policies eo. Bōtaap rejjab kwaḷọk meḷeḷe ko ikijjien kajojo ri-jerbal ak contractor ro, kōn menin raar jab kaṃool eḷaññe USAG-KA ewōr an maroñ ioon jerbal eo an Harry, an deḷọñ ilo installation eo, ak an pād ilo administrative leave. Ro jān Army eo raar bar ba ñan Chikin Melele bwe RMI ejjañin kōjjeḷāik er kōn criminal case in. Raar ba bwe ñe ewōr kein kaṃool ak meḷeḷe kāāl enaaj waḷọk, USAG-KA enaaj etale meḷeḷe ko im kōṃṃane uwaak ko rejiṃwe im rekkar.

Menin eaar bar bōklōñtak bar juon kajjitōk: Ri tōl ro an Army eo rej aikuj ke kōttar an itok enaan kōn jorrāān in meñe eṃōj aer lo im jeḷā kake ṃokta jān aer bōk buñtōn ñan jerbale, im eṃōj an armej ro kwaḷọk ñan er abṇōṇō ko reḷḷap?

Juon source eo ej jerbal ilo USAG-KA ilo tōre in ej ba jab: “Ej bar eddo an Command eo ñan lale im etale abṇōṇō ko raar roñ kaki, im jab kōttar wōt kōjjeḷā ak enaan ko tok jān RMI.”

Jikin ekajet eo an RMI ej kiiō wōnṃaanḷọk kōn keej in. Bōtaap keej in ej bar kōṃṃan bwe en wōr juon kajjitōk eo eḷapḷọk ikijjien wōn eo ej aikuj bōk eddo kōn men ko rej waḷọk ioon Kwajalein.

Phillip Harry ej juon RiMajōḷ, bōtaap ej jerbal āinwōt juon security ippān juon contractor eo ej jerbal ñan U.S. Army Garrison–Kwajalein Atoll. Ekkar ñan meḷeḷe ko jān ro rej jeḷā kōn abṇōṇō kein, aolep jorrāān ko eṃōj aer kwaḷọk kōn Harry, ijellọkun juon, raar waḷọk ilo jikin tariṇae eo an U.S. Army.

Juon iaan ro re jeḷā kōn abṇōṇō kein eaar ba bwe Garrison eo eaar aikuj jerbale problem in ṃoktaḷọk. “Garrison eo eaikuj kar pukot mejlan problem in ruo iiō emootḷọk,” eo ej kwaḷọk meḷeḷe kein eaar ba. In ej kwaḷọk meḷeḷe kein eaar kajjitōkin etke abṇōṇō ko kōn jorrāān ko raar waḷọk ilo jikin tariṇae eo an U.S. Army rej aikuj kōttar ñan an kien eo an RMI etale im kōṃṃan jeṃḷọk ñan jerbal in etale eo an ṃokta jān an Army eo bōk buñtōn ko ñan ṃadṃōde men kein ilo jikin jerbal eo an.

Jikin ekajet eo an RMI enaaj kōṃṃane jeṃḷọk ko ikijien criminal case in. Bōtaap ewōr bar juon kajjitōk ikijjien eddo eo an jikin jerbal eo: Ta eddo ko an USAG-KA ñe abṇōṇō rōt kein rej waḷọk jān rijerbal in contractor ro, im elaññe enañin aolep jorrāān kein raar waḷọk ilo jikin tariṇae eo an U.S. Army eo?

Bōtaap ñan kōrā ro rej pād ilo men in, ewōr juon kajjitōk eo e aikuj uwaak kiiō. Eṃoot ḷọk ruo iiō kiiō, ikijien abṇōṇō kein raar jelet kōrā rein lalem, jipañ ko jān ri-tōl ro an jukjukin-pād im doulul ko jet, im ripoot ko jān elōñ ri-kōṃṃan nuuj ro ñan bōktok kaṃool im aorōk in uwaak in abṇōṇō kein aer. Im kōrā rein rej wōnṃaanḷọk wōt im kajjitōk: Wōn enaaj jipañ kōjparok er ilo aer pād im kōttar an justice system eo kōṃṃane jerbal eo an?

Kiiō, jen lale etke epen uwaake kajjitōk in—im etke kōrā in Majōl ro remaroñ aikuj jipañ jān aolep jikin ñe rej bebe in kwaḷọk ainikier.

While the criminal case moves forward, sources say Harry continues working in security on Roi-Namur and Kwajalein. That means some of the women who reported him still encounter him when they go to work. Sources have told Chikin Melele that Harry sent messages to the women through other Marshallese workers.

One of the women described how afraid she was to have to see Phillip at the dock on Roi, referring to him by his Marshallese nickname: “Eḷap aō lelōñlōñ im mijak ñe ij loe LaMami ilo op e Ruot.”

The women and advocates have asked authorities to enforce no-contact orders by removing Harry from duty while the case proceeds.

Chikin Melele asked USAG-KA for comment: USAG-KA said it takes workplace harassment seriously and wants victims to be able to report harassment without fear of retaliation or intimidation. They said that they evaluate all complaints, refer them for appropriate inquiry, and investigate harassment following U.S. Army Regulations and Policies. But they do not disclose information about individual employees or contractors, and so they did not confirm if USAG-KA has authority over his duty assignment, installation access, or placement on administrative leave. The Army also told Chikin Melele that it had not been notified by the RMI about the criminal case, saying that if new evidence comes to light, USAG-KA will assess the information and respond accordingly.

That raises another question: Should Army leadership wait to receive formal notification when serious concerns have already been brought to its attention?

A source currently working at USAG-KA says no: “It’s also the Command’s responsibility to follow up on concerns they’ve heard about rather than relying solely on RMI notifications.”

The RMI justice system is now moving forward. But the case also raises a broader question about responsibility on Kwajalein.

Phillip Harry is Marshallese, but he works as a security contractor on U.S. Army Garrison–Kwajalein Atoll. According to sources, all but one of the reported incidents involving him occurred on the military installation.

A source familiar with the complaints argues that the issue should have been addressed by the Garrison much earlier: “This problem should have been handled two years ago by the Garrison,” the source said. The source questioned why allegations involving conduct on a U.S. military installation would depend on the RMI government first completing its own investigation before the Army takes action within its workplace.

The RMI court will decide the criminal case. But it raises a separate question about workplace responsibility: What obligations does USAG-KA have when serious allegations involve a contractor employee and most of the reported incidents occurred inside the military installation?

For the women involved, however, the question is more immediate. It has taken two years, complaints involving five women, intervention by community leaders and organizations, and reporting by multiple journalists to bring sustained attention to their concerns. And the women are still asking this question: Who will help keep them safe while they wait for the justice system to work?

Next, we look at why answering that question is so complicated—and why Marshallese women may need support from both sides when they decide to speak.