Navajo Nation President Russell Begaye, right, and acting Chief Justice Allen Sloan of the Navajo Nation Supreme Court signed an executive order relating to sexual harassment on August 1, 2016. Photo from Navajo Nation OPVP
The only woman on the Navajo Nation Council is praising the tribe's executive branch for taking steps to address sexual harassment on the reservation. But Delegate Amber Kanazbah Crotty remains critical of some of her colleagues on the council. In a post on Tuesday, she said they have attempted to impede her efforts after she spoke out against sexual harassment on the tribe's legislative body. "This is not a merely a personal grievance but a call to fellow Naat'áanii to address this systemic, Navajo Nation-wide epidemic," Crotty wrote, using the Navajo word for "leader." Her words came after President Russell Begaye announced an executive order that requires two branches of the Navajo Nation to review the tribe's sexual harassment policy and attend sexual harassment training. Employees of the executive and judicial branches will be informed of their rights under tribal law and learn about acceptable behaviors in the workplace. “This executive order is something that we need on the Navajo Nation to provide a safe and productive workplace,” Begaye said in a press release on Tuesday. “We do have policies in place but they’re not enough. We want to expand these policies to ensure that we protect our employees.”
Navajo Nation Council Delegate Amber Kanazbah Crotty with Navajo Code Talker Thomas H. Begay. Photo from Facebook
But the mandate does not extend to the legislative branch. And while Begaye and acting Chief Justice Allen Sloan of the Navajo Nation Supreme Court signed the order on Monday, their counterpart on the Navajo Nation Council did not. The omission did not go unnoticed by Crotty. She said she has been trying to bring up sexual harassment issues before the council only to be met with resistance. "To this day an unethical leader or administrator will use anything in their arsenal to suppress this critical dialogue on sexual harassment in our government and culture," Crotty wrote on Facebook. Last week, Crotty accused a fellow lawmaker of directing vulgar comments and sexual innuendo at her in front of other colleagues. She said no one spoke up about her victimization. She also said she was "groped" when she worked as a legislative district assistant prior to being elected to the 23-member council. She did not report the incident at the time out of fear of losing her job. Crotty hasn't publicly named the lawmaker but the Associated Press last week reported that the harassment occurred at a meeting of the Budget and Finance Committee. The committee has six members -- all men, according to a 2016 Navajo Nation Council document. The lawmaker in question isn't necessarily a member of the committee, though. Delegates often appear before the panel to present their bills, something Crotty has done at least once since joining the council in January 2015, according to a review of agendas that are available online. Crotty acknowledged that going public has made some people -- including the wives of fellow delegates -- uncomfortable. But she credited some of her colleagues with being receptive to her efforts. "I am encouraged by their support to proceed with my ethics and rules complaints against elected officials," Crotty wrote.
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