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

Ñe juon kōrā in Majōl eo ej jerbal ilo Kwajalein ej ioon jorrāān in kabṇōṇō ilo jikin jerbal, ia eo enaaj etal ñan pukot jipañ?

Āinwōt juon kajjitōk eo epidodo. Bōtaap ñan kōrā ro raar kwaḷọk aer abṇōṇō ṇae security officer Phillip Harry, eaar jab pidodo.

Raar pukot jipañ jān jikin jerbal ko aer, obij ko an human resources, policeman ro, ro ewōr aer maroñ ilo military ak jikin tariṇae ko, WUTMI, im jikin kōṃṃan kien eo an RMI. Raar barāinwōt bar pukot jipañ jān armej ro ilo jukjukin pād ko aer—baaṃle ko aer, pastor ro, landowner ro, im ri-kweiḷọk ro.

Kōnke ilo aṃ kwaḷọk abṇōṇō kōn jorrāān rōt kein ilo Kwajalein, emaroñ meḷeḷein bwe kwōj aikuj in kōṃadṃōd ippān ruo system ko rej lukkuun oktak jān doon ilo ejja iien eo wōt. Juon ej system eo an American military im jikin jerbal ko. Eo juon ej jukjukin pād ko an ri-Majōl, ikijjien jeṃḷọk ko an make, eddo ko an, im kōtmāne ko ilo ṃanit. Im kōrā ro rej ba bwe system kein jimor remaroñ kōṃṃan oktak ñan eḷaññe armej renaaj roñ ainikier ak jab.

Juon kōrā in Majōl eo Chikin Melele eaar interviu ippān ṃoktaḷọk eaar kwaḷọk etke epen kwaḷọk abṇōṇō eo an.“Kōj ri Majōl epen ad kwaḷọk būruwōd ñan doon,” eaar ba. “Kōṃṃan boktak ko im ablōñlōñ ak kajook armej ejjab jekjek in rein kōj ri Majōl.” Kautiej doon, jemjerā ikotaan baamle, im kōjparok bwe en jab wōr aetwerok rej men ko raorōk ilo ṃanit in Majōl.

Bōtaap ñe juon kōrā ej ioon jorrāān in āinwōt kabṇōṇō er ilo ejjeḷọk maroñ, ejja ṃanit kein wōt remaroñ kōṃṃan bwe en lukkuun pen an kwaḷọk jorrāān eo iṃaan armej ro. Kōrā ro rej mijak bwe renaaj luuji jerbal ko aer. Rej mijak ñe renaaj juṃae ak kariap er. Rej inepata bwe menin enaaj bōktok jook im aetwerok ñan baaṃle ko aer. Im jet iien, armej ro rej pukot jipañ jān er rej leḷọk naan in kakapilōklōk ko rej lukkuun oktak jān doon.

Ekkar ñan source ko, juon landowner eaar kamọ an Harry etal ñan Third Island ālikin an waḷọk abṇōṇō ko kōn e. Ak juon pastor eo ej nikun juon iaan kōrā ro eaar rōjan̄ e bwe en jeorḷọk an Harry bōd, kōtḷọk bwe Anij en ekajate, im joḷọk abṇōṇō eo an. Jet iaan ri-tōl ro an Majōl raar bōk abṇōṇō ko kōn Harry ñan Army leadership eo. Uwaak kein rej oktak jān doon rej kwaḷọk etke eḷap an aorōk bwe en wōr armej ro rej jutak ilikin kōrā ro.

Jet iien kōrā in Majōl ro remaroñ aikuj jemāer, leo pāleer, jein im jatin emmaan, landowner ro, ro armej raar kāālōt er ak ri-kweiḷọk ro, im emmaan ro jet bwe ren jutak ippāer—eḷaptata ñe rej aikuj bōk abṇōṇō eo aer ñan juon doulul in Amedka, ijo maroñ, kajin, im jerbal remaroñ kōṃṃan bar jet men ko repen im abañ ñan er.

Āinwōt an juon kōrā kar ba lok ñan Chikin Melele: “Ñe kōrā in Majōl renaaj beran ilo aer kwaḷọk nana rōt kein, āinwōt kamijak akō kallu im kabōṇōṇōiki er, jej aikuj in meḷeḷe bwe rej jutak ṇae juon ṃanit eo eḷap kilan, kōn menin rej aikuj bōk jet buñtōn ko ñan kabōjrak an wōr aetwerok.”

When a Marshallese woman working on Kwajalein experiences harassment, where does she go for help?

That sounds like a simple question. But, for the women who reported security officer Phillip Harry, it was not.

They sought help from employers, human resources offices, police, military authorities, WUTMI, and the RMI justice system. But they also turned to people within their own community—to family members, pastors, landowners, and elected officials.

That is because reporting harassment on Kwajalein can mean navigating two very different systems at the same time. One is the American military and employment system. The other is the Marshallese community, with its own relationships, responsibilities, and cultural expectations. And women say both can determine whether their voices are heard.

A Marshallese woman previously interviewed by Chikin Melele explained why simply making a complaint can be difficult. “Marshallese people are the most non-confrontational people you will ever meet,” she said. “Causing a scene or making others feel uncomfortable is not part of the way our people are.” Respect, family relationships, and avoiding conflict are important Marshallese values.

When a woman experiences harassment, those same expectations can make speaking publicly about it extremely difficult. Women fear losing their jobs. They fear retaliation. They worry about bringing shame and conflict into their families. And sometimes, the people they turn to for help give very different advice.

According to sources, one landowner prohibited Harry from going to Third Island after concerns were raised about him. But a pastor related to one of the women reportedly encouraged her to forgive Harry, leave judgment to God, and drop her complaint. Other Marshallese leaders took concerns about Harry to Army leadership.

These different responses show why advocacy matters. Marshallese women may sometimes need fathers, husbands, brothers, landowners, elected officials, and other men to stand beside them—especially when they must take a complaint into an American institution where authority, language, and employment can create additional barriers.

As one woman told Chikin Melele: “When they muster up the strength to come forward, it should be taken into consideration that they are going against the fiber of their way of behavior and culture.”

Bōtaap meñe ewōr jipañ jān jukjukin pād eo, ewōr wōt bar juon problem. Wōn ilo side eo an American ej eddo ñan jipañ er?

Elōñ ri-Majōl ro ilo Kwajalein im Roi-Namur rejjab ri-tariṇae in Amedka. Rej jerbal ñan private company ko ewōr contract ko aer ippān military eo. Source ko rej ba bwe eor kōrā ro raar kajjitōk jipañ jān program eo an Army etan SHARP, bōtaap raar ba ñan er bwe ren pukot jipañ jān employer ak jikin jerbal ko aer. Jet raar etal ñan WUTMI ñan pukot jipañ. Ro jet raar etal ñan RMI police im ro rej jutak ikijjien kien.

Kiiō, ālikin enañin jilu iiō jān iien eo rej ba jorrāān eo ilo criminal case in eaar waḷọk, RMI Attorney General’s Office ej kab kiiō leḷọk charge ak abṇōṇō kein ñan court. Court ak jikin ekajet eo enaaj lale eḷaññe Harry ewōr ruōn ak jab.

Bōtaap men ko kōrā ro raar iooni rej bōktok kajjitōk ko im juon criminal trial make ejjab maroñ uwaaki. Ñe juon kōrā ej kwaḷọk an abṇōṇō kōn jorrāān rōt in āinwōt ilo aer kabṇōṇōik, wōn eo ej jipañ e ñan meḷeḷe wāwein an system eo jerbal? Wōn ej lale bwe en emaroñ wōnṃaanḷọk wōt im etal ñan jerbal ilo aenōṃṃan? Im ñe eṃōj an juṃae mijak, jook, im ilo an ṃanit eo iuun ṃaanḷọk bwe en kwaḷọk ainikien, im wōn eo ej lale bwe en jab aikuj jutak make iaan?

Juon kōrā eaar ba ñan Chikin Melele etke bōk jipañ eḷap an aorōk: “Bwebwenato eo aṃ emaroñ juon kōjatdikdik ñan bar juon armej eo ej ioon ejja wāwein in wōt im pād ak metak ejja metak eo wōt.”

Eddo eo ejjab an wōt kōrā ro rej beran ñan kwaḷọk ainikier. Ej bar eddo eo an armej ro im doulul ko ewōr aer maroñ ñan roñ—im kōṃṃane.

Even with community support, another problem remains. Who on the American side is responsible for helping them?

Many Marshallese people on Kwajalein and Roi-Namur are not U.S. soldiers. They work for private companies contracted by the military. Sources say women asked for help through the Army’s SHARP program but were told to seek assistance through their employers instead. Some turned to WUTMI for support. Others went to RMI police and prosecutors.

Now, nearly three years after the alleged incident at the center of the criminal case, the RMI Attorney General’s Office has filed charges. The court will determine whether Harry is guilty.

But the women’s experiences raise questions that a criminal trial alone cannot answer. When a woman reports harassment, who helps her navigate the system? Who makes sure she can continue going to work safely? And when she has already overcome fear, shame, and cultural pressure to speak, who makes sure she does not have to stand alone?

One woman told Chikin Melele why that support matters: “Your story might be the last thread of hope for someone else going through the same pain.”

The responsibility does not belong only to women who find the courage to speak. It also belongs to the people and institutions with the power to listen—and to act.