Kathmandu, June 28:

Dalit women, who are lagging behind in comparison to other women, must unite to secure their representation in all organs of the state, speakers said today.

Dalit women, who comprise 10 per cent of the country’s population and 20 per cent of women’s population, have been compelled to look for employment in insecure workplaces because their socio-economic status has not improved, they said at a programme on Constituent Assembly and Proportional Representation of Dalit Women.

Min Bishwokarma, a member of parliament, said, “Their (Dalit women’s) lack of knowledge about politics and administration have made their further backward. The proportionate electoral system will address the concerns of everyone.”

Gagan Thapa, a former general secretary of the Nepal Students’ Union, said that Dalit women must unite to protect their rights. “Mere representation of different ethnic groups in the constituent assembly cannot solve the problem. The representatives should be able to represent values and feelings of the groups,” Thapa said.