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

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

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 stated.

Feronia, which controls DR Congo's palm-oil sector, had actually failed to give workers adequate protective devices, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said.

The UK government's advancement bank, CDC, owns 38% of Feronia in DR Congo.
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It stated Feronia had invested greatly in protective devices and all employees were needed to use it.
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Feronia, a Canadian-based company, stated it was devoted to running to global requirements.

The company added that it had spent $360,000 (₤ 280,000) on individual 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 worn in the workplace.

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

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

"These banks can play an essential role promoting advancement, but they are sabotaging their objective by failing to guarantee the business they fund respects the rights of its workers and neighborhoods on the plantations," Luciana Téllez-Chávez said.

What is HRW's proof?

In a report entitled A Poisonous Mix of Abuses on Congo's Oil Palm Plantations, external, HRW said it had talked to more than 40 workers and two-thirds of them "told us that they had become impotent because they began the task".

Impotence - in addition to shortness of breath, headaches, and weight loss that the employees complained about - were health problems "consistent with exposure to pesticides in basic, as described in scientific literature", HRW said.

"Many [also] struggled with skin irritation, itching, blisters, eye issues, or blurred vision - all symptoms that follow what scientific texts and the items' labels describe as health consequences of direct exposure to these pesticides," the rights group added.
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Ms Téllez-Chávez said employees who had been interviewed had permeable cotton overalls - not the waterproof overalls.

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

If unattended and untreated, effluent-dumping might ultimately likewise cause fish to suffocate and pass away, or cause large developments of algae that could negatively impact the health of individuals who entered contact with contaminated water or taken in tainted fish, HRW added.

The rights group likewise implicated Feronia of paying "extreme hardship" wages, saying women were the lowest-paid, with some earning as little as $7.30 a month event fruit.

HRW stated the advancement banks should make sure the services they invest in pay living wages to their workers.

What is the UK advancement bank's action?

In a declaration, CDC stated: "Palm Oil Mill Effluent (POME) is an organic mix of natural waste oils and fats and has been discharged into rivers given that the plantation came into being in 1911 and does not threaten human health.

"A treatment plant for POME represents a multimillion dollar investment - money that the company has picked instead to spend on real estate, clean water arrangement, health care and academic facilities for workers, their families and other members of the local neighborhoods.

"It is the goal of the company to construct treatment plants for POME, but is sadly not in a monetary position to do so currently as it continues to make heavy losses.

"In addition, the business has actually reconditioned or dug 72 new boreholes for the provision of clean water in the last 6 years."

What does Feronia say?

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

Employees were now paid considerably more than the base pay for farming in DR Congo and the average worker made $3.30 per day - higher than what a local teacher would make, it stated.

It likewise verified that it had invested significantly in access to safe drinking water.
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"Feronia operates on a social mandate with regional neighborhoods. Without their assistance we would not have the ability to operate. We acknowledge that there is still a fantastic offer to be done and are devoted to running to global standards. We will continue to work tirelessly to accomplish these objectives," the business included a declaration.

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