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DR Congo employees for Feronia made impotent by pesticides - HRW

25 November 2019
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Workers exposed to pesticides at a UK-funded firm in the Democratic Republic of Congo have actually suffered becoming impotent, a rights group has actually stated.

Feronia, which controls DR Congo's palm-oil sector, had stopped working to provide employees adequate protective equipment, Human Rights Watch (HRW) stated.

The UK federal government's advancement bank, CDC, owns 38% of Feronia in DR Congo.
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It stated Feronia had actually invested greatly in protective devices and all workers were required to use it.

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

The company included that it had 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 equipment to be worn in the work environment.

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

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

"These banks can play an essential function promoting advancement, however they are sabotaging their objective by failing to guarantee the business they fund appreciates the rights of its employees and neighborhoods on the plantations,” HRW researcher Luciana Téllez-Chávez stated.

What is HRW's proof?

In a report entitled A Hazardous 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 “informed us that they had become impotent given that they started the task”.

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

"Many [likewise] suffered from skin inflammation, irritation, blisters, eye problems, or blurred vision - all symptoms that are consistent with what scientific texts and the items’ labels describe as health consequences of direct exposure to these pesticides,” the rights group included.
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Ms Téllez-Chávez stated workers who had actually been interviewed had permeable cotton overalls - not the waterproof overalls.

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

What else does HRW state?

At the Yaligimba plantation, the company dumped the waste from its palm oil mill beside employees’ homes.

The effluents formed a “foul-smelling stream”, and eventually streamed into a natural pond where women and kids bathe and clean cooking utensils.

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

If and without treatment, effluent-dumping could eventually also cause fish to suffocate and pass away, or cause large developments of algae that might adversely affect the health of individuals who entered contact with contaminated water or taken in tainted fish, HRW included.
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The rights group likewise accused Feronia of paying “extreme hardship” earnings, saying ladies were the lowest-paid, with some earning as little as $7.30 a month gathering fruit.

HRW stated the development banks ought to ensure business they invest in pay living incomes to their employees.

What is the UK advancement 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 considering that 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 company has chosen instead to spend on housing, clean water arrangement, health care and instructional facilities for employees, their families and other members of the regional neighborhoods.
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"It is the goal of the business to build treatment plants for POME, however is unfortunately not in a financial position to do so currently as it continues to make heavy losses.

"In addition, the business has actually reconditioned or dug 72 brand-new boreholes for the provision of clean water in the last 6 years.“
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What does Feronia say?
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The company stated working conditions had actually enhanced significantly since the participation 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 instructor would earn, it stated.

It likewise verified that it had actually invested substantially in access to safe drinking water.

"Feronia operates on a social mandate with regional neighborhoods. Without their assistance we would not have the ability to work. We identify that there is still a terrific deal to be done and are dedicated to operating to global standards. We will continue to work tirelessly to accomplish these goals,” the business added in a statement.

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