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 complained of becoming impotent, a rights group has actually stated.
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Feronia, which controls DR Congo's palm-oil sector, had actually stopped working to offer employees sufficient protective equipment, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said.

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

It said Feronia had actually invested heavily in protective equipment and all employees were required to use it.

Feronia, a Canadian-based firm, said it was committed to operating to global requirements.

The company included that it had spent $360,000 (₤ 280,000) on personal protective devices in the last 3 years, which workers had been trained to utilize, and it had implemented 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), use thousands of workers 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 an essential function promoting development, but they are undermining their objective by stopping working to ensure the business they fund appreciates the rights of its workers and neighborhoods on the plantations," HRW scientist Luciana Téllez-Chávez stated.

What is HRW's evidence?

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

Impotence - together with shortness of breath, headaches, and weight-loss that the workers complained about - were illness "consistent with exposure to pesticides in general, as described in clinical literature", HRW said.

"Many [also] suffered from skin inflammation, itchiness, blisters, eye problems, or blurred vision - all symptoms that are constant with what scientific texts and the items' labels refer to as health effects of direct exposure to these pesticides," the rights group added.

Ms Téllez-Chávez stated workers who had actually been spoken with had permeable cotton overalls - not the water resistant overalls.

"If pesticides accidentally spilled, the hazardous liquid would likely touch their skin," she added.

What else does HRW state?

At the Yaligimba plantation, the company disposed the waste from its palm oil mill beside workers' homes.
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The effluents formed a "foul-smelling stream", and ultimately flowed into a natural pond where ladies and children bathe and wash 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.
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If untreated and unattended, effluent-dumping could eventually also cause fish to suffocate and die, or trigger large growths of algae that could the health of people who came into contact with contaminated water or consumed tainted fish, HRW included.
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The rights group likewise accused Feronia of paying "severe hardship" incomes, saying ladies were the lowest-paid, with some earning as low as $7.30 a month gathering fruit.

HRW said the advancement banks must ensure business they buy pay living earnings to their employees.

What is the UK advancement bank's response?

In a statement, CDC stated: "Palm Oil Mill Effluent (POME) is an organic mix of natural waste oils and fats and has been discharged into rivers since 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 picked instead to invest in housing, clean water arrangement, healthcare and educational centers for employees, their households and other members of the regional neighborhoods.

"It is the goal of the company to construct treatment plants for POME, but is unfortunately not in a financial position to do so presently as it continues to make heavy losses.
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"In addition, the company has refurbished or dug 72 brand-new boreholes for the provision of tidy water in the last 6 years."

What does Feronia say?

The company said working conditions had enhanced substantially because the involvement of the European banks in 2013.

Employees were now paid significantly more than the minimum wage for agriculture in DR Congo and the typical employee earned $3.30 each day - greater than what a local instructor would earn, it said.

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

"Feronia runs on a social mandate with local communities. Without their assistance we would not have the ability to operate. We acknowledge that there is still an excellent offer to be done and are dedicated to operating to international requirements. We will continue to work relentlessly to achieve these goals," the company included a statement.

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