There are no legal impediments to women participating in government and politics. There are no women in the legislature but women have served in the Cabinet and the legislature in the past. A woman is the elected governor of 1 of the 16 states. While untested during the country's first year of independence, Palau has a history of openness to a variety of human rights groups without government restriction. Government officials have met with representatives of these groups and foreign officials regarding the issues of civil rights of foreign minority workers.
Government officials are generally cooperative and responsive to their views.
The Constitution prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex, race, place of origin, language, religion or belief, social status or clan affiliation, and the Government generally respects these provisions. There are occasional allegations of violence against women, mainly related to domestic abuse. Alcohol and other drug abuse increasingly contribute to this problem. According to the Attorney General's Office, the Government's Public Health Office, and women's groups, only a few such cases are reported to the authorities every year, but many more are believed to go unreported. Although assault is a criminal offense, women are reluctant to prosecute their spouses.