How is the SC tackling gender stereotyping? (GS Paper 2, Social Justice)
Why in news?
- Recently, the Supreme Court of India has released a set of new words and phrases to be used by both lawyers and judges in court.
Details:
- The ‘The Handbook on Combating Gender Stereotypes’ aims to assist the legal community in “identifying, understanding and combating stereotypes about women.
- It contains a glossary of gender-unjust terms and suggests alternative words or phrases which may be used while drafting pleadings as well as orders and judgments.
What are some of the changes?
- To avoid the use of harmful gender stereotypes in judicial decision-making and writing, the handbook identifies language that promotes such stereotypes, and offers new words.
- For example, under the guidelines, it will be incorrect to say “adulteress”; instead, the following words have to be used: “Woman who has engaged in sexual relations outside of marriage.” It is no longer proper to prefix “chaste” or “obedient” before woman and wife; plain “woman” and “wife” will do.
How should sexual violence be looked at?
- The handbook says an individual who has been affected by sexual violence may identify as either a “survivor” or “victim”.
- Stressing on consent, the guidelines point out that the clothing or attire of a woman must be independent of questions of sexual relations. “A man who touches a woman without her consent must not be permitted to take the defence that the woman invited his touch by dressing in a particular way.”
- There are a host of dos and don’ts on how to handle issues of rape and assault. The Court shatters the stereotype that women who are sexually assaulted or raped file a complaint about the injustice immediately and if they complain after a time, they are lying.
Why are stereotypes harmful?
- On a micro-level, the handbook states that stereotypes lead to exclusion and discrimination at the workplace, educational institutions and in public places.
- It cites the example of a stereotype that individuals from oppressed castes are not as accomplished in school or university in comparison to individuals from oppressor castes. This may cause members of oppressed castes to face additional mental pressure when writing an examination.
- As for women, the OHCHR (Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights) points out that labels whether overtly hostile (such as “women are irrational”) or seemingly benign (“women are nurturing”), perpetuate inequalities.
- For example, it says, the traditional view of women as care givers means that child care responsibilities often fall exclusively on women.
- The Supreme Court has taken care of it with these directives: “A person’s gender does not determine or influence their capacity for rational thought,” and “People of all genders are equally suited to the task of caring for others.”
Has the Supreme Court taken up stereotypes in its verdicts?
- The Supreme Court has highlighted verdicts that have rejected stereotypes and which can be utilised by judges to shun gender stereotypes.
- For instance, in Joseph Shine versus Union of India, a Constitution Bench struck down the offence of “adultery” under Section 497 of the Indian Penal Code.
- Observing that the law on adultery was but a codified rule of patriarchy, it said, “Society ascribes impossible virtues to a woman and confines her to a narrow sphere of behaviour by an expectation of conformity.”
- In State of Jharkhand versus Shailendra Kumar Rai, the Court reiterated its categorical ban on the “two finger test” and said it was irrelevant to determination of rape and that it violated the dignity of rape survivors or victims.
- In State of Punjab versus Gurmit Singh, it held that a testimony of a rape survivor or victim is “inherently credible.” The delay in lodging an FIR can be due to a variety of reasons.
Will it have an impact on the ground?
- For Uma Mahadevan-Dasgupta, who is in the IAS, it’s a great first step.
- The table in the handbook, which lays down the stereotype and the reality in two columns side by side, is an important takeaway for her, because it removes so many qualifiers that judge women.
Are turmeric supplements advisable?
(GS Paper 2, Health)
Why in news?
- Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), recently issued a medical advisory warning Australians of the risk of liver injury from using medicines and herbal supplements containing turmeric or its active ingredient, curcumin.
Why this was advisory issued?
- The TGA said that until June 29, 2023, it had received 18 reports of liver problems experienced by consumers taking products containing curcuma longa (turmeric) and/or curcumin.
- These followed an investigation the agency undertook to review the safety of the products, after instances of their consumption and liver injury were reported in Australia and internationally.
- The evidence from nine of these reports had enough information to suggest that a liver injury may have been caused by curcuma longa or a curcumin product. Two of these cases were severe, including one that resulted in death.
- The TGA’s verdict, following the investigation, is that there is a “rare risk” of liver injury from taking curcuma longa and/or curcumin in medicinal dosage forms.
- People with existing or previous liver problems were more likely to develop this rare adverse event. There are over 600 listed medicines, legally available in Australia, that contain these curcuma species and/or curcumin.
Does turmeric have health benefits?
- The TGA warning says that the risk of liver injury did not appear to relate to curcuma longa consumed in “typical” dietary amounts as a food.
- As a staple ingredient in South and South East Asian cuisine, turmeric is also used in Ayurvedic and Chinese-medicine concoctions.
- Several studies, over the last five decades, have investigated the properties of curcumin and report it to have anti-oxidant properties that can help with inflammation. These include arthritis and infections.
Is Australia the only country to warn about turmeric supplements?
- The Australian TGA cites reports of 20 hepatitis cases in France and an investigation by ANSES, the French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety, into 100 reports of adverse effects, including 15 reports of hepatitis, potentially related to the consumption of food supplements containing turmeric or curcumin.
- The ANSES report underlines that turmeric has “choleretic” properties, which means it stimulates the secretion of bile to improve digestion, and therefore, it is advisable that those with bile duct disease should avoid turmeric.
- Curcumin could also interact with medications such as anticoagulants, cancer drugs and immunosuppressants, reducing their safety and effectiveness.
Is there a ‘safe limit’ on the amount of turmeric that can be consumed?
- The European Food Safety Authority has set an acceptable daily intake of 180 mg of curcumin per day for a 60 kg adult as the safe level of consumption.
- A World Health Organization/Food and Agricultural Organisation advisory recommends 3 mg/kg of body weight.
- India’s Food Safety and Standards Authority of India has standards that packaged turmeric must comply with but nothing on the recommended dietary allowance.
Warming-induced glacier retreat could create novel ecosystems
(GS Paper 3, Environment)
Why in news?
- Climate change caused by human activity under a high-emissions scenario may halve the area covered by glaciers outside the Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets by the end of the century, as per a study.
- This will have marked ecological and societal cascading consequences, as novel ecosystems develop to fill emerging new habitat. However, there has been no complete spatial analysis carried out to quantify or anticipate the important changeover.
Ecological impact:
- Under a high-emissions scenario (in which global greenhouse gas emissions triple by 2075), about half of 2020 glacier area could be lost by 2100. However, this could be curbed by a low-emissions scenario (in which net zero is achieved by 2050), which would reduce this loss to approximately 22%.
- As per the modelling exercise, the loss of glacier area will range from 22% to 51%, depending on the climate scenario.
- It would mean that by 2100, the decline of all glaciers outside the Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets may produce “new terrestrial, marine and freshwater ecosystems over an area ranging from the size of Nepal (1,49,000sq. km) to that of Finland (3,39,000 sq. km)”.
New ecosystems:
- In the deglaciated areas, the new ecosystems will be characterised by “extreme to mild ecological conditions” encompassing terrestrial, freshwater and even marine habitats.
- While such drastic changes might favour primary productivity, it may also lead to increased numbers of non-native species and those that can thrive under certain conditions such as cold-adapted species and generalist species.
- Such vast emergence on a relatively short timescale will add to the complexity of glacial dynamics and will increase the challenge of glacier conservation. Ironically, less than half of glacial areas are located in protected areas.
Way Forward:
- In response to the possible scenarios, the authors “emphasise the need to urgently and simultaneously enhance climate-change mitigation and the in-situ protection of these ecosystems to secure their existence, functioning and values”.
- This is the first ever attempt towards getting a full understanding of the ecosystem shift associated with global deglaciation.
