Are We Safe? An Investigation of Eve-teasing (Public Sexual Harassment) in India

In recent years, many countries have tightened the rules against harassment in the workplace and violence in the home. On the other hand, incidences of sexual harassment against women in public places have not been paid sufficient attention. Developing countries like India have recorded an increase in sexual harassment cases in public places due to the increase in participation of women in activities outside the home such as education and employment. In India, the term “Eve-teasing” is a euphemism for sexual harassment in public places. Eve-teasing is identified as a significant problem in the patriarchal society of India that carries dreadful implications for women. Daily encounters with sexual harassment leads to a decline in their career, socio-economic, and political opportunities. In recent years, these misdeeds have been spread to every corner of our society and have become a national problem. Eve-teasing is not considered atrocious, so strong laws have not been enacted to counteract it. This study has been conducted to identify the socio-psychological repercussions of Eve-teasing on young women cadets of the National Cadet Corps (NCC) aged between 19 and 24 years. Moreover, the significance of NCC in empowering the women cadets in dealing with daily harassment is also the focus of the investigation. Particularly, a structural feminist approach is adopted to offer a critical framework to examine the patriarchal socialization of men and women as the most common cause of Eve-teasing. A total of 262 women participated in this study. The data were collected at the national camp of NCC held in New Delhi through a semi-structured questionnaire and focus group discussions from January 18-29 of 2020. Out of the total respondents, 83.20% were exposed to Eve-teasing in their lives, while 15.26% of them did not disclose public harassment. The study concludes by highlighting the negative implications of Eve-teasing on the life of young women. The respondents were the cadets of the National Cadet Corps (NCC) which helped them to shape self-confidence to fight against such sexual harassment acts; therefore, it is suggested to the governments (state and central) to emphasize the involvement of the agencies having similar goals as NCC in empowering young women and girls

Cultural Hegemony and Victimisation of Bedia Women in Central India

Italian philosopher Antonio Gramsci first coined the term “hegemony” and also elaborated on cultural hegemony. It is a common perception that cultural powers and organisations are hegemonic-centred, resulting in a network of invisible powers. Hegemonic power processes are an integral part of daily social and cultural practices that help to perpetuate power relations. The repercussions of hegemony can be seen in various aspects of society, such as caste, class, ethnicity, occupation, gender, tradition, etc. This paper enlightens on the gendered hegemonic cultural practice of prostitution (sex work) as a traditional institution in the Bedia community. The intensive fieldwork in Habla hamlet, a sub-village of Luhari village (village assembly) of the Bedia community in Sagar district in Madhya Pradesh, India, was conducted to reveal the hegemonic practices in the community. Forty people aged between 50 to 60 years have been interviewed for this study. Twenty females and twenty males were selected for data collection, and observations had been made in the hamlet to understand hegemony through social institutions. Moreover, we have found that the male members are alert to the preservation of the purity and chastity of their wives but compelled their sisters and daughters, with the support of social institutions, to remain unmarried and take up prostitution (sex work). In particular, Bedias' hegemonic traditional cultural behaviour plays an essential role in the continuation of discrimination against Bedia women. Additionally, we explore the mechanism of this hegemonic power through the role of gender, patriarchy, false consciousness, emotions, power of common sense, ideology, and history, which have been responsible for the victimisation of Bedia women for a long time

Understanding the Hidden Aspects of Sex Trafficking of Girl Children in Central India

This study examines the deep-rooted socio-cultural practices of institutional prostitution, which is one of the factors contributing to sex trafficking in Central India. There are some states where women and girls are vulnerable to trafficking. The Honorable Supreme Court of India became aware of the issue and directed the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) to make a special report on the missing women and children. According to the NCRB report, Madhya Pradesh (M.P.) state ranks first in child trafficking and third in women\u27s trafficking. The study discusses traditional prostitution practices among some communities in the state, such as Banchhada, Bedia, and Kanjar. They have long been involved in institutional prostitution and sex trafficking. These communities depend on prostitution proceeds from their sisters and daughters to survive. So, they prepare them to become prostitutes right from the beginning of their lives. Communities justify their practices as the traditions and customs of their culture. This study uses secondary and primary data to understand and analyze the hidden factors of culture-based prostitution and trafficking in Central India. The study\u27s findings address the unconscious practices of communities that are responsible for the means of unconventional survival. Various parameters, including poverty, unemployment, and illiteracy, have contributed to these crimes

Clinical and Morphological Changes in non Obstructive Renal Tuberculosis

Renal histopathology in non-obstructive stage of urinary tuberculosis revealed seven types of lesion viz; a) nil lesion without nephrotic syndrome (35%); b) minimal change glomerulonephritis (15%); c) focal global sclerosis (5%); d) focal segmental proliferative glomerulonephritis (5%); e) chronic pyelonephritis (15%); f) amyloidosis (20%) and g) focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (5%). Patients having nil lesion without nephrotic syndrome were young, presented with hematuria (57.14%) and positive IVP abnormalities (71.42%) with nil to mild proteinuria. Patients with sclerosing and proliferative lesions mainly presented with hematuria and 2/3 had IVP abnormalities. Amyloidosis patients had generalized swelling all over body with blood pressure towards lower side of normal, marked proteinuria and hypoalbuminemia, 50% of them had long standing pulmonary tuberculosis with normal IVP findings

Comparison of intravenous Magnesium Sulphate with intrathecal Magnesium Sulphate for post- operative analgesia in orthopaedic patients undergoing extracapsular hip fracture surgery

Background: Magnesium sulphate (MgSO4) N methyl D aspartate receptor antagonist has the potential to be an ideal adjuvant for postoperative analgesia via intrathecal or intravenous route. The aim of the study was, we compared the efficacy of two routes of MgSO4 (Intravenous vs intrathecal) as an adjuvant to bupivacaine in subarachnoid block (SAB).Methods: Ninety, American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status 1 or 2 patients, aged 20-60 years, scheduled for hip surgeries under SAB were recruited in department of Anaesthesia and Dept. of Orthopaedics. Patients in group 1 (n=29) received intrathecal 0.5% (H) bupivacaine 15 mg with 0.1 ml of normal saline and 250 ml 0.9% normal saline intravenous 30 minutes before giving SAB. Group 2 (n=30) patients received intrathecal 0.5% bupivacaine 15mg with 0.1 ml of normal saline and 50mg/kg of magnesium sulphate in 250 ml normal saline intravenous 30minutes before giving SAB. In Group 3 (n=30) patients received intrathecal 0.5% (H) bupivacaine 15 mg with 50mg (0.1ml) magnesium sulphate and 250 ml 0.9% normal saline intravenous 30 minutes before giving SAB. They were evaluated for block characteristics, visual analogue scale at various time intervals up to 24 hours and total rescue analgesic and duration of postoperative analgesia were noted.Results: Intravenous magnesium sulphate had maximum pain free interval, lower pain scores, longer sensory and motor blockade and less requirement of rescue analgesia as compared to the patients in intrathecal group or control group (P<0.05).Conclusions: Intravenous magnesium sulphate was more effective as compared to intrathecal route with regards to the pain scores and in providing postoperative analgesia

Synthesis of α-glucan in mycobacteria involves a hetero-octameric complex of trehalose synthase TreS and Maltokinase Pep2

Recent evidence established that the cell envelope of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the bacillus causing tuberculosis (TB), is coated by an α-glucan-containing capsule that has been implicated in persistence in a mouse infection model. As one of three known metabolic routes to α-glucan in mycobacteria, the cytoplasmic GlgE-pathway converts trehalose to α(1 → 4),α(1 → 6)-linked glucan in 4 steps. Whether individual reaction steps, catalyzed by trehalose synthase TreS, maltokinase Pep2, and glycosyltransferases GlgE and GlgB, occur independently or in a coordinated fashion is not known. Here, we report the crystal structure of M. tuberculosis TreS, and show by small-angle X-ray scattering and analytical ultracentrifugation that TreS forms tetramers in solution. Together with Pep2, TreS forms a hetero-octameric complex, and we demonstrate that complex formation markedly accelerates maltokinase activity of Pep2. Thus, complex formation may act as part of a regulatory mechanism of the GlgE pathway, which overall must avoid accumulation of toxic pathway intermediates, such as maltose-1-phosphate, and optimize the use of scarce nutrients