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 company in the Democratic Republic of Congo have actually experienced ending up being impotent, a rights group has actually stated.
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Feronia, which controls DR Congo's palm-oil sector, had actually failed to provide employees appropriate protective devices, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said.

The UK federal government's advancement 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 wear it.

Feronia, a Canadian-based company, stated it was committed to operating to international requirements.

The company added that it had actually spent $360,000 (₤ 280,000) on personal protective equipment in the last 3 years, which employees had been trained to utilize, and it had actually implemented a policy requiring the to be used in the office.

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

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

"These banks can play an important function promoting advancement, however they are undermining their objective by failing to make sure the business they finance appreciates the rights of its workers and neighborhoods on the plantations," HRW researcher Luciana Téllez-Chávez stated.

What is HRW's evidence?

In a report entitled A Harmful Mix of Abuses on Congo's Oil Palm Plantations, external, HRW said it had interviewed more than 40 employees and two-thirds of them "told us that they had actually become impotent since they started the task".

Impotence - in addition to shortness of breath, headaches, and weight reduction that the employees complained about - were health issues "constant with exposure to pesticides in general, as explained in clinical literature", HRW said.
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"Many [likewise] experienced skin irritation, irritation, blisters, eye problems, or blurred vision - all symptoms that are constant with what clinical texts and the items' labels explain as health repercussions of 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 inadvertently spilled, the harmful liquid would likely touch their skin," she included.

What else does HRW state?

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 flowed into a natural pond where women and kids bathe and clean cooking utensils.
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"Residents of a village of a number of hundred people downstream told us the river was their only source of drinking water," Ms Téllez-Chávez stated.

If unchecked and without treatment, effluent-dumping could eventually also cause fish to suffocate and die, or trigger big growths of algae that might adversely affect the health of individuals who entered contact with contaminated water or consumed tainted fish, HRW added.

The rights group likewise accused Feronia of paying "severe hardship" wages, saying ladies were the lowest-paid, with some earning as low as $7.30 a month event fruit.

HRW said the advancement banks must make sure business they purchase pay living wages to their employees.

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 actually been released into rivers because the plantation entered remaining in 1911 and does not threaten human health.

"A treatment plant for POME represents a multimillion dollar investment - cash that the business has actually chosen rather to invest in real estate, clean water provision, health care and academic facilities for employees, their households and other members of the local neighborhoods.

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

"In addition, the business has refurbished or dug 72 brand-new boreholes for the provision of clean water in the last six years."

What does Feronia say?

The business said working conditions had enhanced considerably because the participation of the European banks in 2013.
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Employees were now paid considerably more than the minimum wage for agriculture in DR Congo and the typical employee made $3.30 per day - greater than what a local teacher would make, it said.

It also verified that it had actually invested considerably in access to safe drinking water.
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"Feronia runs on a social mandate with regional communities. Without their assistance we would not have the ability to operate. We identify that there is still a fantastic deal to be done and are committed to running to international requirements. We will continue to work tirelessly to achieve these goals," the company included in a declaration.
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