dr-congo-workers-for-feronia-made-impotent-by-pesticides---hrw

DR Congo workers for Feronia made impotent by pesticides - HRW

25 November 2019

Workers exposed to pesticides at a UK-funded firm in the Democratic Republic of Congo have experienced ending up being impotent, a rights group has stated.

Feronia, which dominates DR Congo's palm-oil sector, had stopped working to give workers appropriate protective equipment, Human Rights Watch (HRW) stated.
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The UK federal government's advancement bank, CDC, owns 38% of Feronia in DR Congo.

It stated Feronia had invested heavily in protective equipment and all employees were needed to wear it.

Feronia, a Canadian-based firm, stated it was dedicated to running to international standards.

The company included that it had spent $360,000 (₤ 280,000) on individual protective devices in the last three years, which workers had actually been trained to utilize, and it had actually executed a policy requiring the devices to be used in the workplace.

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Feronia and its regional subsidiary, Plantations et Huileries du Congo (PHC), utilize thousands of employees at palm oil plantations in DR Congo.

PHC has received countless dollars from the development banks of Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands and the UK.

"These banks can play an important role promoting advancement, but they are undermining their objective by failing to guarantee the company they fund appreciates the rights of its employees and communities on the plantations," HRW scientist Luciana Téllez-Chávez said.

What is HRW's evidence?
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In a report entitled A Toxic Mix of Abuses on Congo's Oil Palm Plantations, external, HRW stated it had actually talked to more than 40 workers and two-thirds of them "informed us that they had actually become impotent because they began the task".

Impotence - along with shortness of breath, headaches, and weight reduction that the workers grumbled about - were illness "constant with exposure to pesticides in general, as explained in clinical literature", HRW stated.

"Many [likewise] struggled with skin irritation, itching, blisters, eye issues, or blurred vision - all signs that follow what scientific texts and the items' labels refer to as health effects of direct exposure to these pesticides," the rights group added.

Ms Téllez-Chávez said workers who had actually been talked to had permeable cotton overalls - not the water resistant overalls.

"If pesticides unintentionally spilled, the toxic liquid would likely touch their skin," she added.

What else does HRW state?

At the Yaligimba plantation, the company discarded the waste from its palm oil mill next to workers' homes.
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The effluents formed a "foul-smelling stream", and eventually flowed into a natural pond where women and kids bathe and wash cooking utensils.

"Residents of a village of several hundred people downstream told us the river was their only source of drinking water," Ms Téllez-Chávez stated.

If unchecked and without treatment, effluent-dumping might eventually also trigger fish to and die, or cause big growths of algae that might negatively affect the health of people who entered into contact with contaminated water or consumed tainted fish, HRW added.

The rights group also accused Feronia of paying "severe hardship" wages, stating women were the lowest-paid, with some earning just $7.30 a month gathering fruit.

HRW stated the advancement banks must make sure business they buy pay living incomes to their employees.

What is the UK advancement bank's reaction?

In a statement, CDC said: "Palm Oil Mill Effluent (POME) is a natural mix of natural waste oils and fats and has actually been released into rivers considering that the plantation entered into being in 1911 and does not threaten human health.

"A treatment plant for POME represents a multimillion dollar financial investment - money that the business has picked rather to invest on real estate, tidy water provision, health care and academic centers for staff members, their families and other members of the regional neighborhoods.

"It is the aim of the business to construct treatment plants for POME, however is unfortunately not in a financial position to do so currently as it continues to make heavy losses.

"In addition, the company has actually reconditioned or dug 72 brand-new boreholes for the arrangement of tidy water in the last 6 years."

What does Feronia state?

The company stated working conditions had actually improved substantially considering that the participation of the European banks in 2013.
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Employees were now paid considerably more than the base pay for agriculture in DR Congo and the average worker made $3.30 per day - greater than what a regional teacher would earn, it said.
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It likewise confirmed that it had actually invested substantially in access to safe drinking water.

"Feronia operates on a social mandate with local communities. Without their support we would not be able to work. We recognise that there is still a lot to be done and are devoted to running to worldwide requirements. We will continue to work tirelessly to achieve these objectives," the business included in a declaration.
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