There have been no allegations by outside organizations of human rights violations in Nauru, nor any requests for investigations. The Constitution prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, sex, religion, disability, language, or social status. Women Previous governments have shown little interest in the problems of women. While the current authorities give high priority to improved health care and education, the island has no gynecologists, and the Government has not addressed the physical abuse of women and does not collect statistics on it. Some credible reports indicate that sporadic abuse, often aggravated by alcohol abuse, occurs.
Families usually attempt to reconcile such problems informally as is standard islander practice.
Major and unresolved family disputes are treated seriously by the courts and the Government. Constitutional provisions assuring women the same freedoms and protections as men are not fully observed in practice. The Government provides equal opportunities in education and employment, and women are free to own property and pursue private interests. However, both the Government and society still give women clear signals that their ultimate goal should be marriage and raising a family. Nauru's population has been almost eliminated on several occasions, first by disease and drought, and then during World War II as a result of massive removals by the Japanese.