Women are underrepresented in politics and government. Two women hold permanent secretary positions, and there is 1 in the 42-member Parliament. There are no restrictions on the formation of local nongovernmental organizations that concern themselves with human rights, but none have been formed. There have been no reported allegations of human rights violations by the Government and no known requests for investigations. The Constitution prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, creed, national origin, or sex, and the Government generally observed this prohibition in practice.
Society is fundamentally egalitarian and has no privileged class.
Women Violence against women does not appear to be a major problem in this isolated, rural society. Rape is a crime, and the law is enforced when charges are brought to court, although it is suspected that prosecutions are relatively infrequent. Wife battering traditionally is addressed through communal pressure. The traditional culture, in which men are dominant, has impeded a more active role for women in the economy. However, women slowly are finding work in unskilled and semiskilled occupations.