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Kathmandu Sunday July 09, 2000 Ahsad 25, 2057.
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‘No Dalits in policy-making’
By a Post Reporter
KATHMANDU, July 8 - There is no participation of Dalits in
the judiciary and policy-making, said a noted Dalit activist amid a function here today.
D B Sagar Bishwokarma said unless there is adequate
representation of 4,500,000 Dalits in the mainstream, the nation cannot attain holistic
development.
He urged the government to find alternatives for Dalits’
upliftment by reserving seats for Dalits in the state-level machineries. He also urged
both the government and the private bodies to carry out socio-economic programmes for
their upliftment.
Ranju Thakur, a social activist, presenting a paper on
Violence Against Dalit Women said, "Dalit women face twin suppressions of being
‘Dalit’ and ‘women’". She strongly urged the government first to
implement constitutional commitments and to form National Dalits Commission to oversee
their problems. She said, "Religious revolution is essential for Dalit’s
upliftment."
According to Divya Jha, a social activist, 25 percent of
total Dalits smoke which constitutes 58 percent males and 42 percent females. She said
Dalits spend 90 percent of their income in beer or cigarettes which is promoting domestic
violence. "Terai Dalits are further exploited by other Dalits," she said.
Addressing the function, chairperson of Feminist Dalit
Organization Durga Sob said, Dalits should not be looked as people of mercy but they
should be given rights.
Vice Chairman of the committee for the Upliftment of
Suppressed and Dalits Ganesh Bahadur Pariyar said, "Hindu religion is the core point
for Dalit exploitation," adding "donor agencies are not being able to approach
the targeted population."
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