Members of the United Nations Committee on Human Rights, the Chairpersons of the State Human Rights Commissions, distinguished juetiees, diplomats and members of the police form, both serving and retimi, human rights octiviis and scholars. 6.19 Earlier that month, a National Worlahop was held in Madras on Human Rights and Societal Change, with special reference to Schdubd Casts8 and Scheduled Tribes. Organized by the Odit Liberptian Education Trust, with the hslp of the Psopk's Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) and this Commission, the Workshop brought- t leading dalit intellectuals and activists, together with s&olars, rspn#sntatfvar of interested nongovernmentalorganizations and senior oficsr8 of the Centre and States. The Speaker of Lok Sabha addressed the inaugural sesdon. The Workshop m t i t u t e d a major effort by the Commission to bstter its understanding of the special problems facing dalits, so that the Commission could press for appropriate ways of resolving w redressing these problems. The Workshop noted that, despite the axistmcs of the Protection of Civil Rights Act, 1976, the violation of human rights of dalits had inmesod. The implementation of the Act left much to be desired; irwestigations into atrocitis against dalits were onen 'inadequate" or biased. The Workshop also noted that the conviction rate of perpetratws of atrocities against dal## was very low and that them was need to plug the loop holes that permitted this. Mention was, very often, mads to the frequency of atrocities resulting from dispute8 w e r land, and the need to implement land reforms diligently. Above all, the workshop aaMed for greater semitization of all the agencies of Govemment, the judiciary and law enforcement machinery in particular, to the special problems posed in protecting the rights of dalits. 6.20 Two seminars, in particular, related to the role of the armed forces and human rights. One, organized in Dslhi in November 1996 by Army Headquarters itself, was extremely wall attended, non3ovemmantal organizations and others participatingfully. It also provided the Chairpsrson and Members of the Commission to angags in a most useful and thorough i n a m e r a discuesion with the Chief d Staff and the senior most officers of the force. The other was a seminar organized by the A w m State Human Rights Commission which, among other matters, permitted a sertous discumion on human rights probbms in a m s of Insurgency, representatives d the A m y participating actively in the discussion. 0.21 A numbr of seminars were attended by the Chrlrpmm and Msmbrs of the Commission on varioue asof child labour, lndudiq ths s w o l -probl,mr of children working in the arpd Industry. In more than one wch m i n e r , the organizer8 had invited participants from other countrie~of the muth Asian reglon e8 well, signifying