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

DR Congo workers for Feronia made impotent by pesticides - HRW
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25 November 2019

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

Feronia, which dominates DR Congo's palm-oil sector, had actually failed to offer employees adequate protective equipment, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said.

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

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

Feronia, a Canadian-based company, said it was devoted to operating to global standards.

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 executed a policy needing the equipment to be used in the work environment.

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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.
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PHC has gotten countless 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 undermining their objective by failing to make sure the business they fund appreciates the rights of its workers and communities on the plantations," HRW scientist Luciana Téllez-Chávez said.

What is HRW's evidence?
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In a report entitled A Toxic 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 actually become impotent since they began the task".

Impotence - in addition to shortness of breath, headaches, and weight reduction that the workers complained about - were health issues "constant with exposure to pesticides in general, as explained in clinical literature", HRW stated.
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"Many [also] experienced skin inflammation, itching, blisters, eye issues, or blurred vision - all signs that follow what scientific texts and the products' labels refer to as health effects of direct exposure to these pesticides," the rights group included.
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Ms Téllez-Chávez stated workers who had been spoken with had permeable cotton overalls - not the water resistant overalls.

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

What else does HRW state?

At the Yaligimba plantation, the business disposed 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 and kids bathe and clean cooking utensils.

"Residents of a village of several hundred individuals downstream informed us the river was their only source of drinking water," Ms Téllez-Chávez stated.

If unattended and untreated, effluent-dumping could eventually likewise trigger fish to suffocate and pass away, or trigger large growths of algae that might adversely affect the health of people who entered into contact with contaminated water or taken in tainted fish, HRW added.

The rights group also accused Feronia of paying "severe poverty" wages, stating women were the lowest-paid, with some earning as little as $7.30 a month event fruit.

HRW stated the development banks ought to guarantee business they buy pay living salaries to their workers.

What is the UK development bank's reaction?

In a statement, CDC said: "Palm Oil Mill Effluent (POME) is an organic mix of natural waste oils and fats and has actually been released into rivers since the plantation came into being in 1911 and does not threaten human health.

"A treatment plant for POME represents a multimillion dollar investment - cash that the business has picked rather to invest on real estate, tidy water provision, healthcare and instructional centers for workers, their households and other members of the regional communities.

"It is the aim of the company 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 arrangement of tidy water in the last six years."

What does Feronia state?
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The company said working conditions had improved considerably since the participation of the European banks in 2013.

Employees were now paid significantly more than the minimum wage for agriculture in DR Congo and the typical employee earned $3.30 each day - higher than what a regional instructor would earn, it stated.

It also verified that it had invested significantly in access to safe drinking water.

"Feronia runs on a social mandate with regional communities. Without their support we would not be able to work. We recognise that there is still a good deal to be done and are committed to operating to worldwide requirements. We will continue to work relentlessly to attain these goals," the business added in a statement.

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