There were some setbacks in press freedom in 1998 although media coverage of politically sensitive issues has improved in recent years. There were also allegations that former cabinet minister and parliament member Willie Jimmy had threatened Radio Vanuatu journalists. Religious freedom is respected in this predominantly Christian country. Freedom of assembly and association is upheld. There are five active, independent trade unions operating under the umbrella of the Vanuatu Council of Trade Unions, although more than 80 percent of the population is engaged in subsistence agriculture and fishing.
Unions can exercise their right to organize and bargain collectively.
Although the judicial system is generally independent, the government has, at times, attempted to pressure the largely expatriate judiciary in politically sensitive cases. After the arrest of some 500 suspected rioters in January 1998, there were credible reports that police assaulted or otherwise poorly treated prisoners. In 1999, the Ombudsman s Office said that jails failed to meet the minimum international standards and the constitutional rights of inmates are often violated. The country s small ethnic-minority communities are discriminated in land ownership. Women have limited opportunities in education and politics.