dr-congo-workers-for-feronia-made-impotent-by-pesticides---hrw

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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 company in the Democratic Republic of Congo have actually complained of ending up being impotent, a rights group has said.

Feronia, which dominates DR Congo's palm-oil sector, had actually stopped working to provide workers appropriate protective equipment, Human Rights Watch (HRW) stated.

The UK federal government's development bank, CDC, owns 38% of Feronia in DR Congo.
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It said Feronia had actually invested greatly in protective devices and all employees were needed to wear it.

Feronia, a Canadian-based company, said it was dedicated to running to international standards.

The company included that it had invested $360,000 (₤ 280,000) on personal protective equipment in the last 3 years, which workers had actually been trained to utilize, and it had actually executed a policy requiring the devices to be worn in the work environment.

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Feronia and its regional subsidiary, Plantations et Huileries du Congo (PHC), utilize countless workers at palm oil plantations in DR Congo.

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

"These banks can play a crucial function promoting advancement, but they are sabotaging their mission by stopping working to guarantee the company they fund respects the rights of its workers and communities on the plantations," HRW scientist Luciana Téllez-Chávez stated.

What is HRW's proof?

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

Impotence - in addition to shortness of breath, headaches, and weight loss that the workers complained about - were health issues "constant with exposure to pesticides in basic, as explained in scientific literature", HRW said.
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"Many [also] struggled with skin inflammation, itchiness, blisters, eye issues, or blurred vision - all symptoms that are constant with what scientific texts and the products' labels refer to as health effects of direct exposure to these pesticides," the rights group added.

Ms Téllez-Chávez said employees who had been talked to had permeable cotton overalls - not the waterproof overalls.
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"If pesticides accidentally spilled, the toxic liquid would likely touch their skin," she added.

What else does HRW say?

At the Yaligimba plantation, the business disposed the waste from its palm oil mill next to workers' homes.
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The effluents formed a "foul-smelling stream", and eventually streamed into a natural pond where ladies and children shower and wash cooking utensils.

"Residents of a village of numerous hundred people downstream told us the river was their only source of drinking water," Ms Téllez-Chávez said.

If uncontrolled and unattended, effluent-dumping might eventually also cause fish to suffocate and die, or cause large growths of algae that could adversely affect the health of individuals who entered into contact with polluted water or taken in tainted fish, HRW included.
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The rights group likewise accused Feronia of paying "severe hardship" salaries, saying ladies were the lowest-paid, with some earning as little as $7.30 a month event fruit.

HRW stated the must guarantee the services they purchase pay living wages to their workers.
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What is the UK development bank's response?
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In a statement, CDC stated: "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 entered into remaining in 1911 and does not threaten human health.

"A treatment plant for POME represents a multimillion dollar investment - money that the company has selected instead to invest in real estate, tidy water provision, health care and academic facilities for workers, their families and other members of the regional neighborhoods.

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

"In addition, the business has reconditioned or dug 72 new boreholes for the arrangement of clean water in the last 6 years."
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What does Feronia state?

The business said working conditions had actually improved considerably considering that the involvement of the European banks in 2013.

Employees were now paid significantly more than the base pay for agriculture in DR Congo and the typical employee made $3.30 each day - greater than what a local 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 mandate with regional neighborhoods. Without their assistance we would not have the ability to function. We recognise that there is still a good deal to be done and are dedicated to running to international standards. We will continue to work tirelessly to attain these goals," the company included a statement.

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