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 complained of ending up being impotent, a rights group has said.

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

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

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

Feronia, a Canadian-based firm, said it was dedicated to running to worldwide requirements.

The firm included that it had invested $360,000 (₤ 280,000) on personal protective devices in the last 3 years, which workers had been trained to use, and it had executed a policy requiring 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 employees at palm oil plantations in DR Congo.
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PHC has gotten millions of dollars from the advancement banks of Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands and the UK.
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"These banks can play a crucial role promoting advancement, but they are sabotaging their mission by failing to ensure the company they fund appreciates the rights of its employees and communities on the plantations," HRW scientist Luciana Téllez-Chávez stated.

What is HRW's proof?

In a report entitled A Toxic Mix of Abuses on Congo's Oil Palm Plantations, external, HRW stated it had talked to more than 40 workers and two-thirds of them "told us that they had actually ended up being impotent because they started the task".

Impotence - along with shortness of breath, headaches, and weight reduction that the employees complained about - were health issue "constant with exposure to pesticides in basic, as described in clinical literature", HRW stated.

"Many [also] struggled with skin inflammation, itching, blisters, eye issues, or blurred vision - all signs that follow what clinical texts and the items' labels refer to as health consequences of direct exposure to these pesticides," the rights group included.

Ms Téllez-Chávez stated workers who had been interviewed had permeable cotton overalls - not the waterproof overalls.

"If pesticides mistakenly spilled, the harmful 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.

The effluents formed a "foul-smelling stream", and ultimately streamed into a natural pond where females and kids shower and wash cooking utensils.
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"Residents of a town of a number of hundred individuals downstream told us the river was their only source of drinking water," Ms Téllez-Chávez stated.
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If unchecked and without treatment, effluent-dumping could eventually also trigger fish to suffocate and die, or trigger large growths of algae that might negatively impact the health of people who entered into contact with polluted water or taken in tainted fish, HRW added.

The rights group likewise implicated Feronia of paying "severe poverty" incomes, saying ladies were the lowest-paid, with some earning just $7.30 a month event fruit.

HRW said the advancement banks ought to make sure they invest in pay living earnings to their employees.

What is the UK advancement bank's action?
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In a statement, CDC said: "Palm Oil Mill Effluent (POME) is a natural mix of natural waste oils and fats and has actually been released into rivers given that 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 investment - money that the company has actually picked rather to invest in real estate, clean water arrangement, health care and educational facilities for employees, their households and other members of the regional communities.
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"It is the objective of the business to build treatment plants for POME, however is unfortunately not in a monetary position to do so currently as it continues to make heavy losses.
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"In addition, the business has refurbished or dug 72 new boreholes for the arrangement of clean water in the last six years."
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What does Feronia say?

The business stated working conditions had actually enhanced significantly since the involvement of the European banks in 2013.

Employees were now paid considerably more than the minimum wage for agriculture in DR Congo and the typical employee made $3.30 per day - higher than what a regional instructor would make, it said.

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

"Feronia runs on a social required with regional communities. Without their assistance we would not be able to operate. We identify that there is still an excellent offer to be done and are committed to operating to worldwide standards. We will continue to work tirelessly to accomplish these objectives," the business added in a statement.

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