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

DR Congo workers 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 grumbled of ending up being impotent, a rights group has actually said.
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Feronia, which dominates DR Congo's palm-oil sector, had failed to give employees adequate protective equipment, Human Rights Watch (HRW) stated.

The UK government's advancement bank, CDC, owns 38% of Feronia in DR Congo.

It stated Feronia had actually invested greatly in protective equipment and all workers were needed to use it.

Feronia, a Canadian-based company, said it was dedicated to operating to international standards.

The firm included that it had actually invested $360,000 (₤ 280,000) on individual protective equipment in the last 3 years, which employees had actually been trained to use, and it had carried out a policy needing the equipment to be used in the work environment.

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

PHC has received millions of dollars from the advancement banks of Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands and the UK.

"These banks can play a crucial role promoting development, however they are sabotaging their mission by failing to ensure the company they finance respects the rights of its employees and neighborhoods on the plantations," HRW scientist Luciana Téllez-Chávez said.

What is HRW's proof?

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

Impotence - in addition to shortness of breath, headaches, and weight loss that the workers grumbled about - were health issues "constant with direct exposure to pesticides in general, as explained in scientific literature", HRW stated.

"Many [also] experienced skin irritation, itching, blisters, eye problems, or blurred vision - all symptoms that follow what clinical texts and the products' labels describe as health repercussions of exposure to these pesticides," the rights group included.

Ms Téllez-Chávez stated employees who had actually been spoken with had permeable cotton overalls - not the waterproof overalls.

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

What else does HRW state?

At the Yaligimba plantation, the company disposed the waste from its palm oil mill next to workers' homes.
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The effluents formed a "foul-smelling stream", and ultimately streamed into a natural pond where females and kids shower and wash cooking utensils.

"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 neglected, effluent-dumping could ultimately likewise trigger fish to suffocate and pass away, or trigger big growths of algae that could adversely impact the health of individuals who entered into contact with polluted water or consumed tainted fish, HRW added.

The rights group likewise implicated Feronia of paying "severe poverty" salaries, saying females were the lowest-paid, with some earning as little as $7.30 a month gathering fruit.
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HRW said the development banks ought to guarantee the services they purchase pay living incomes to their workers.

What is the UK development bank's response?
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In a statement, CDC stated: "Palm Oil Mill Effluent (POME) is a natural mix of natural waste oils and fats and has been released into rivers given that the plantation entered into remaining in 1911 and does not threaten human health.

"A treatment plant for POME represents a multimillion dollar investment - money that the business has selected instead to invest on housing, tidy water arrangement, health care and educational centers for staff members, their families and other members of the local communities.
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"It is the objective of the business to develop 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 new boreholes for the provision of tidy water in the last six years."

What does Feronia say?

The company said working conditions had improved significantly considering that the involvement of the European banks in 2013.
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Employees were now paid substantially more than the base pay for agriculture in DR Congo and the average worker made $3.30 daily - higher than what a local teacher would make, it stated.

It likewise confirmed that it had invested significantly in access to safe drinking water.
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"Feronia operates on a social mandate with local communities. Without their assistance we would not have the ability to work. We recognise that there is still a lot to be done and are dedicated to operating to global requirements. We will continue to work relentlessly to accomplish these objectives," the company added in a statement.

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