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

DR Congo workers for Feronia made impotent by pesticides - HRW

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.
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Feronia, which dominates DR Congo's palm-oil sector, had failed to offer employees appropriate protective devices, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said.
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The UK federal government's development bank, CDC, owns 38% of Feronia in DR Congo.

It said Feronia had invested heavily in protective equipment and all workers were required to use it.
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Feronia, a Canadian-based firm, said it was dedicated to operating to worldwide requirements.
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The company added that it had invested $360,000 (₤ 280,000) on individual protective devices in the last 3 years, which employees had been trained to utilize, and it had implemented a policy requiring the equipment to be used in the workplace.
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Feronia and its local subsidiary, Plantations et Huileries du Congo (PHC), employ thousands of workers at palm oil plantations in DR Congo.

PHC has actually received 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 sabotaging their mission by failing to guarantee the company they fund respects the rights of its workers and communities on the plantations," HRW researcher Luciana Téllez-Chávez said.

What is HRW's proof?
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In a report entitled A Poisonous Mix of Abuses on Congo's Oil Palm Plantations, external, HRW said it had spoken with more than 40 employees and two-thirds of them "told us that they had actually ended up being impotent considering that they began the job".
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Impotence - in addition to shortness of breath, headaches, and weight loss that the workers grumbled about - were illness "consistent with exposure to pesticides in basic, as described in clinical literature", HRW said.

"Many [likewise] struggled with skin irritation, irritation, blisters, eye problems, or blurred vision - all signs that are consistent with what scientific texts and the products' labels explain as health effects of exposure to these pesticides," the rights group added.

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

"If pesticides mistakenly spilled, the harmful liquid would likely touch their skin," she included.

What else does HRW state?
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At the Yaligimba plantation, the company discarded the waste from its palm oil mill next to workers' homes.

The effluents formed a "foul-smelling stream", and ultimately flowed into a natural pond where ladies and kids shower and wash 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 might ultimately also trigger fish to and die, or trigger large developments of algae that could negatively affect the health of individuals who came into contact with contaminated water or consumed tainted fish, HRW included.
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The rights group likewise implicated Feronia of paying "severe hardship" earnings, saying women were the lowest-paid, with some earning as little as $7.30 a month gathering fruit.

HRW said the development banks must guarantee the businesses they buy pay living incomes to their workers.

What is the UK development bank's response?

In a declaration, CDC stated: "Palm Oil Mill Effluent (POME) is a natural mix of natural waste oils and fats and has been released into rivers considering that 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 company has actually picked instead to invest in real estate, clean water arrangement, healthcare and educational facilities for employees, their families and other members of the regional neighborhoods.
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"It is the goal of the company to build treatment plants for POME, but is sadly not in a monetary position to do so currently as it continues to make heavy losses.

"In addition, the company has actually refurbished or dug 72 brand-new boreholes for the provision of tidy water in the last 6 years."

What does Feronia state?
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The company said working conditions had improved substantially because the involvement of the European banks in 2013.
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Employees were now paid substantially more than the base pay for farming in DR Congo and the typical worker made $3.30 per day - higher than what a local instructor would earn, it stated.

It likewise validated that it had actually invested considerably in access to safe drinking water.

"Feronia runs on a social required with local communities. Without their assistance we would not have the ability to function. We acknowledge that there is still a lot to be done and are devoted to running to worldwide standards. We will continue to work relentlessly to attain these goals," the business included a statement.

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