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DR Congo workers for Feronia made impotent by pesticides - HRW

25 November 2019

Workers exposed to pesticides at a UK-funded company in the Democratic Republic of Congo have actually suffered becoming impotent, a rights group has actually said.

Feronia, which dominates DR Congo’s palm-oil sector, had actually failed to provide employees sufficient protective equipment, Human Rights Watch (HRW) stated.

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

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

Feronia, a Canadian-based company, stated it was dedicated to running to global standards.

The company included that it had spent $360,000 (₤ 280,000) on personal protective devices in the last three years, which employees had actually been trained to use, and it had executed a policy needing the equipment to be worn in the office.

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

PHC has received millions of dollars from the development banks of Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands and the UK.
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“These banks can play an important function promoting development, but they are undermining their mission by stopping working to ensure the company they finance appreciates the rights of its employees and neighborhoods on the plantations,” HRW scientist Luciana Téllez-Chávez said.

What is HRW’s evidence?

In a report entitled A Harmful Mix of Abuses on Congo’s Oil Palm Plantations, external, HRW said it had interviewed more than 40 employees and two-thirds of them “informed us that they had become impotent given that they began the task”.

Impotence - in addition to shortness of breath, headaches, and weight-loss that the employees complained about - were health issues “constant with exposure to pesticides in general, as described in clinical literature”, HRW stated.

“Many [also] suffered from skin irritation, irritation, blisters, eye problems, or blurred vision - all symptoms that are constant with what scientific texts and the items’ labels describe as health repercussions of exposure to these pesticides,” the rights group included.

Ms Téllez-Chávez said workers who had been spoken with had permeable cotton - not the water resistant overalls.

“If pesticides unintentionally spilled, the toxic liquid would likely touch their skin,” she included.

What else does HRW state?

At the Yaligimba plantation, the business 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 females and children bathe and clean cooking utensils.

“Residents of a village of several hundred people downstream informed us the river was their only source of drinking water,” Ms Téllez-Chávez said.
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If uncontrolled and neglected, effluent-dumping could eventually likewise cause fish to suffocate and pass away, or cause large growths of algae that could negatively affect the health of people who entered contact with contaminated water or taken in tainted fish, HRW included.

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

HRW said the advancement banks ought to ensure business they purchase pay living earnings to their workers.

What is the UK advancement bank’s reaction?
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In a declaration, 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 being in 1911 and does not threaten human health.

“A treatment plant for POME represents a multimillion dollar investment - cash that the company has chosen rather to invest in real estate, clean water arrangement, healthcare and educational facilities for staff members, their families and other members of the regional neighborhoods.

“It is the goal 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 refurbished or dug 72 new boreholes for the provision of tidy water in the last six years.”
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What does Feronia say?

The business stated working conditions had improved considerably considering that the involvement of the European banks in 2013.

Employees were now paid substantially more than the base pay for farming in DR Congo and the average employee earned $3.30 each day - greater than what a regional teacher would earn, it said.
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It also confirmed that it had actually invested substantially in access to safe drinking water.

“Feronia runs on a social mandate with local neighborhoods. Without their support we would not be able to function. We identify that there is still a terrific offer to be done and are devoted to running to global requirements. We will continue to work relentlessly to accomplish these goals,” the business included in a statement.
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