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 actually said.
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Feronia, which dominates DR Congo's palm-oil sector, had stopped working to give employees sufficient protective equipment, Human Rights Watch (HRW) stated.

The UK federal government's advancement bank, CDC, owns 38% of Feronia in DR Congo.
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It said Feronia had actually invested greatly in protective devices and all workers were needed to wear it.

Feronia, a Canadian-based company, said it was dedicated to operating to worldwide requirements.

The company added that it had actually spent $360,000 (₤ 280,000) on personal protective devices in the last 3 years, which employees had actually been trained to use, and it had implemented a policy needing the devices to be used in the work environment.

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Feronia and its regional subsidiary, Plantations et Huileries du Congo (PHC), use thousands of employees at palm oil plantations in DR Congo.
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PHC has actually received countless dollars from the development banks of Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands and the UK.

"These banks can play an essential role promoting development, but they are undermining their mission by failing to make sure the company they finance appreciates the rights of its workers and communities on the plantations," HRW researcher Luciana Téllez-Chávez stated.

What is HRW's evidence?

In a report entitled A Harmful Mix of Abuses on Congo's Oil Palm Plantations, external, it had interviewed more than 40 workers and two-thirds of them "told us that they had ended up being impotent because they began the job".

Impotence - along with shortness of breath, headaches, and weight loss that the workers grumbled about - were illness "constant with direct exposure to pesticides in basic, as described in scientific literature", HRW said.

"Many [also] suffered from skin inflammation, itching, blisters, eye problems, or blurred vision - all symptoms that follow what clinical texts and the items' labels refer to as health repercussions of direct exposure to these pesticides," the rights group added.

Ms Téllez-Chávez said employees who had actually been talked to had permeable cotton overalls - not the waterproof overalls.

"If pesticides accidentally spilled, the toxic liquid would likely touch their skin," she added.
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What else does HRW state?

At the Yaligimba plantation, the company dumped the waste from its palm oil mill beside workers' homes.

The effluents formed a "foul-smelling stream", and ultimately streamed into a natural pond where women and children bathe and clean cooking utensils.
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"Residents of a village of a number of hundred individuals downstream informed us the river was their only source of drinking water," Ms Téllez-Chávez stated.

If uncontrolled and unattended, effluent-dumping could eventually likewise trigger fish to suffocate and die, or trigger large developments of algae that could adversely impact the health of people who entered into contact with contaminated water or consumed tainted fish, HRW included.

The rights group likewise accused Feronia of paying "severe poverty" wages, saying women were the lowest-paid, with some earning as little as $7.30 a month gathering fruit.
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HRW said the advancement banks ought to guarantee business they invest in pay living earnings to their employees.

What is the UK advancement bank's reaction?

In a declaration, CDC stated: "Palm Oil Mill Effluent (POME) is a natural mix of natural waste oils and fats and has actually been released into rivers given that the plantation came into remaining in 1911 and does not threaten human health.

"A treatment plant for POME represents a multimillion dollar investment - money that the company has actually selected rather to invest in housing, clean water arrangement, healthcare and educational facilities for staff members, their households and other members of the local communities.

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

"In addition, the business has actually refurbished or dug 72 new boreholes for the arrangement of clean water in the last 6 years."

What does Feronia say?

The company said working conditions had enhanced considerably considering that the participation of the European banks in 2013.

Employees were now paid substantially more than the minimum wage for agriculture in DR Congo and the average worker earned $3.30 per day - greater than what a regional teacher would make, it stated.

It likewise verified that it had invested significantly in access to safe drinking water.
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"Feronia operates on a social required with regional neighborhoods. Without their assistance we would not be able to operate. We acknowledge that there is still a good deal to be done and are committed to operating to international requirements. We will continue to work relentlessly to achieve these goals," the company added in a statement.
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