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 suffered ending up being impotent, a rights group has stated.
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Feronia, which controls DR Congo's palm-oil sector, had failed to provide workers appropriate protective equipment, Human Rights Watch (HRW) stated.

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

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

Feronia, a Canadian-based company, stated it was devoted to running to international requirements.
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The firm added that it had invested $360,000 (₤ 280,000) on personal protective equipment in the last 3 years, which workers had actually been trained to use, and it had actually implemented a policy needing the devices to be used in the workplace.

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Feronia and its local subsidiary, Plantations et Huileries du Congo (PHC), employ thousands of workers 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 a crucial role promoting development, but they are undermining their mission by failing to make sure the company they fund appreciates the rights of its workers and communities on the plantations," HRW scientist Luciana Téllez-Chávez stated.

What is HRW's evidence?

In a report entitled A Toxic Mix of Abuses on Congo's Oil Palm Plantations, external, HRW stated it had actually spoken with more than 40 employees and two-thirds of them "informed us that they had actually ended up being impotent considering that they started the task".

Impotence - together with shortness of breath, headaches, and weight loss that the employees grumbled about - were health issues "constant with exposure to pesticides in general, as described in clinical literature", HRW said.

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

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

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

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

The effluents formed a "foul-smelling stream", and ultimately flowed into a natural pond where women and kids shower and clean cooking utensils.

"Residents of a town of several hundred individuals downstream told us the river was their only source of drinking water," Ms Téllez-Chávez stated.
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If uncontrolled and without treatment, effluent-dumping could eventually likewise cause fish to suffocate and pass away, or cause large growths of algae that could adversely affect the health of individuals who entered into contact with polluted water or consumed tainted fish, HRW added.

The rights group also accused Feronia of paying "extreme hardship" incomes, saying ladies were the lowest-paid, with some earning as low as $7.30 a month event fruit.

HRW stated the development banks must guarantee the services they purchase pay living salaries to their workers.
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What is the UK development bank's action?

In a statement, CDC stated: "Palm Oil Mill Effluent (POME) is an organic mix of natural waste oils and fats and has actually been discharged into rivers because the plantation came into remaining in 1911 and does not threaten human health.
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"A treatment plant for POME represents a multimillion dollar financial investment - cash that the business has selected instead to invest in housing, tidy water provision, healthcare and educational facilities for employees, their households and other members of the local communities.

"It is the objective of the company to construct treatment plants for POME, but is regrettably not in a monetary 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 6 years."
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What does Feronia state?

The company said working conditions had actually improved substantially given that the involvement of the European banks in 2013.

Employees were now paid substantially more than the minimum wage for agriculture in DR Congo and the typical worker made $3.30 each day - higher than what a local teacher would make, 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 regional communities. Without their assistance we would not be able to function. We identify that there is still a lot to be done and are dedicated to running to global standards. We will continue to work relentlessly to attain these goals," the business added in a declaration.

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