DR Congo Workers for Feronia made Impotent By Pesticides – HRW

DR Congo employees 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 said.

Feronia, which controls DR Congo’s palm-oil sector, had actually stopped working to provide workers sufficient protective devices, Human Rights Watch (HRW) stated.

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

It said Feronia had invested greatly in protective devices and all employees were required to wear it.

Feronia, a Canadian-based company, said it was dedicated to running to worldwide standards.

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

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

PHC has gotten countless dollars from the development banks of Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands and the UK.

“These banks can play an essential role promoting development, but they are sabotaging their objective by stopping working to make sure the company they finance appreciates the rights of its employees and communities on the plantations,” HRW scientist Luciana Téllez-Chávez said.

What is HRW’s proof?

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

Impotence – along with shortness of breath, headaches, and weight-loss that the workers grumbled about – were health issue “consistent with exposure to pesticides in general, as explained in clinical literature”, HRW stated.

“Many [likewise] struggled with skin inflammation, itchiness, blisters, eye problems, or blurred vision – all symptoms that follow what scientific texts and the products’ labels refer to as health repercussions of direct exposure to these pesticides,” the rights group added.

Ms Téllez-Chávez said workers who had actually been interviewed had permeable cotton overalls – not the water resistant overalls.

“If pesticides inadvertently spilled, the hazardous liquid would likely touch their skin,” she added.

What else does HRW state?

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 streamed into a natural pond where women and kids shower and clean cooking utensils.

“Residents of a village of a number of hundred individuals downstream informed us the river was their only source of drinking water,” Ms Téllez-Chávez said.

If uncontrolled and without treatment, effluent-dumping might likewise cause fish to suffocate and die, or cause large developments of algae that might negatively affect the health of individuals who came into contact with contaminated water or consumed tainted fish, HRW added.

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

HRW said the development banks should ensure business they purchase pay living earnings to their workers.

What is the UK development bank’s response?

In a statement, CDC said: “Palm Oil Mill Effluent (POME) is an organic 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 financial investment – money that the company has chosen instead to invest on real estate, clean water provision, healthcare and educational facilities for employees, their families and other members of the local communities.

“It is the objective of the company to develop treatment plants for POME, but is sadly not in a financial position to do so currently as it continues to make heavy losses.

“In addition, the company has refurbished or dug 72 brand-new boreholes for the arrangement of clean water in the last six years.”

What does Feronia say?

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

Employees were now paid significantly more than the minimum wage for agriculture in DR Congo and the typical worker made $3.30 daily – higher than what a regional teacher would make, it said.

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

“Feronia runs on a social mandate with local communities. Without their assistance we would not have the ability to work. We identify that there is still a lot to be done and are devoted to running to international requirements. We will continue to work tirelessly to achieve these objectives,” the business included a declaration.

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