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

DR Congo employees for Feronia made impotent by pesticides - HRW

25 November 2019
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Workers exposed to pesticides at a UK-funded firm in the Democratic Republic of Congo have complained of becoming impotent, a rights group has actually stated.

Feronia, which controls DR Congo's palm-oil sector, had failed to give employees adequate protective equipment, Human Rights Watch (HRW) stated.
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The UK government's development bank, CDC, owns 38% of Feronia in DR Congo.
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It said Feronia had actually invested heavily in protective devices and all workers were required to wear it.

Feronia, a Canadian-based company, said it was committed to running to worldwide requirements.

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

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Feronia and its local subsidiary, Plantations et Huileries du Congo (PHC), utilize countless workers at palm oil plantations in DR Congo.

PHC has actually gotten countless dollars from the advancement banks of Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands and the UK.
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"These banks can play an essential role promoting development, but they are undermining their objective by failing to make sure the business they finance appreciates the rights of its employees and communities on the plantations," HRW researcher Luciana Téllez-Chávez said.

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

Impotence - together with shortness of breath, headaches, and weight loss that the workers grumbled about - were illness "constant with exposure to pesticides in basic, as described in clinical literature", HRW stated.
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"Many [likewise] struggled with skin irritation, itching, blisters, eye problems, or blurred vision - all signs that follow what clinical texts and the items' labels refer to as health effects of direct exposure to these pesticides," the rights group added.
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Ms Téllez-Chávez said workers who had been spoken with had permeable cotton overalls - not the waterproof overalls.

"If pesticides mistakenly spilled, the harmful liquid would likely touch their skin," she added.

What else does HRW say?

At the Yaligimba plantation, the company discarded the waste from its palm oil mill next to workers' homes.

The effluents formed a "foul-smelling stream", and eventually flowed into a natural pond where females and children shower and wash cooking utensils.
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"Residents of a town of numerous hundred individuals downstream told us the river was their only source of drinking water," Ms Téllez-Chávez stated.

If unchecked and untreated, effluent-dumping could eventually also cause fish to suffocate and die, or cause large developments of algae that could negatively affect the health of people who entered into contact with polluted water or consumed tainted fish, HRW added.

The rights group likewise implicated Feronia of paying "extreme poverty" earnings, stating women were the lowest-paid, with some earning just $7.30 a month gathering fruit.

HRW stated the advancement banks need to ensure the services they purchase pay living incomes to their workers.

What is the UK advancement bank's action?

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

"A treatment plant for POME represents a multimillion dollar investment - cash that the company has rather to invest in real estate, tidy water arrangement, healthcare and instructional facilities for staff members, their households and other members of the local communities.

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

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

What does Feronia say?
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The business stated working conditions had improved substantially since the participation of the European banks in 2013.

Employees were now paid significantly more than the base pay for farming in DR Congo and the average employee made $3.30 each day - higher than what a regional instructor would make, it said.

It also confirmed that it had actually invested considerably in access to safe drinking water.
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"Feronia operates on a social mandate with regional neighborhoods. Without their support we would not be able to work. We acknowledge that there is still a terrific deal to be done and are dedicated to operating to international standards. We will continue to work tirelessly to accomplish these objectives," the business included in a statement.

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