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 ending up being impotent, a rights group has actually stated.

Feronia, which dominates DR Congo's palm-oil sector, had stopped working to give workers sufficient protective devices, Human Rights Watch (HRW) stated.

The UK federal bank, CDC, owns 38% of Feronia in DR Congo.
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It said Feronia had actually invested heavily in protective equipment and all employees were required to use it.

Feronia, a Canadian-based firm, stated it was devoted to operating to global standards.
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The firm included that it had actually invested $360,000 (₤ 280,000) on individual protective equipment in the last 3 years, which employees had actually been trained to use, and it had actually carried out a policy needing the devices to be worn in the office.

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

PHC has actually gotten millions of 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 mission 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 stated.
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What is HRW's proof?
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In a report entitled A Poisonous Mix of Abuses on Congo's Oil Palm Plantations, external, HRW stated it had actually interviewed more than 40 employees and two-thirds of them "told us that they had actually become impotent because they started the task".

Impotence - along with shortness of breath, headaches, and weight reduction that the workers complained about - were health issues "consistent with direct exposure to pesticides in basic, as explained in scientific literature", HRW said.
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"Many [also] experienced skin irritation, itching, blisters, eye problems, or blurred vision - all symptoms that follow what scientific texts and the products' labels refer to as health consequences of direct exposure to these pesticides," the rights group added.
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Ms Téllez-Chávez said employees who had actually been talked to had permeable cotton overalls - not the water resistant overalls.
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"If pesticides accidentally spilled, the harmful liquid would likely touch their skin," she included.

What else does HRW say?
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At the Yaligimba plantation, the business dumped 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 ladies and kids bathe and clean cooking utensils.

"Residents of a town of a number of hundred people downstream informed us the river was their only source of drinking water," Ms Téllez-Chávez said.

If uncontrolled and unattended, effluent-dumping might ultimately likewise trigger fish to suffocate and die, or cause big developments of algae that might adversely affect the health of individuals who entered contact with contaminated water or consumed tainted fish, HRW included.
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The rights group likewise implicated Feronia of paying "extreme poverty" incomes, stating females were the lowest-paid, with some earning just $7.30 a month event fruit.

HRW said the advancement banks need to ensure the businesses they invest in pay living wages to their workers.

What is the UK advancement bank's response?

In a declaration, CDC said: "Palm Oil Mill Effluent (POME) is a natural mix of natural waste oils and fats and has been discharged into rivers because the plantation came into being 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 company has chosen rather to spend on real estate, clean water provision, health care and instructional centers for employees, their families and other members of the regional communities.

"It is the aim of the business to construct treatment plants for POME, however is unfortunately not in a monetary position to do so presently as it continues to make heavy losses.

"In addition, the company has 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?
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The business stated working conditions had actually enhanced considerably because 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 average employee earned $3.30 per day - greater than what a local teacher would make, it stated.

It likewise validated that it had actually invested significantly in access to safe drinking water.

"Feronia runs on a social required with local neighborhoods. Without their assistance we would not be able to operate. We acknowledge that there is still a lot to be done and are dedicated to running to global standards. We will continue to work tirelessly to accomplish these objectives," the company included a statement.
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