DR Congo employees 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 actually complained of becoming impotent, a rights group has stated.
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Feronia, which controls DR Congo's palm-oil sector, had stopped working to give employees sufficient protective equipment, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said.
The UK federal government's advancement bank, CDC, owns 38% of Feronia in DR Congo.
It said Feronia had actually invested greatly in protective devices and all workers were needed to use it.
Feronia, a Canadian-based firm, stated it was dedicated to operating to global standards.
The firm included that it had invested $360,000 (₤ 280,000) on individual protective devices in the last 3 years, which employees had actually been trained to utilize, and it had carried out a policy requiring the equipment to be used in the office.
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Feronia and its regional subsidiary, Plantations et du Congo (PHC), use countless employees at palm oil plantations in DR Congo.
PHC has actually received countless dollars from the development banks of Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands and the UK.
"These banks can play an important role promoting development, however they are sabotaging their objective by failing to make sure the business they fund respects the rights of its employees and communities on the plantations," HRW scientist Luciana Téllez-Chávez stated.
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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 spoken with more than 40 employees and two-thirds of them "told us that they had actually become impotent given that they began the task".
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Impotence - along with shortness of breath, headaches, and weight loss that the employees complained about - were health issues "constant with exposure to pesticides in basic, as explained in scientific literature", HRW said.
"Many [also] suffered from skin inflammation, itchiness, blisters, eye issues, or blurred vision - all signs that are consistent with what scientific texts and the products' labels explain as health consequences of exposure to these pesticides," the rights group added.
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Ms Téllez-Chávez stated workers who had actually been interviewed had permeable cotton overalls - not the water resistant overalls.
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"If pesticides inadvertently spilled, the hazardous liquid would likely touch their skin," she included.
What else does HRW state?
At the Yaligimba plantation, the business discarded 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 bathe and wash cooking utensils.
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"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 neglected, effluent-dumping could eventually also trigger fish to suffocate and die, or trigger large developments of algae that might adversely impact the health of people who came into contact with contaminated water or consumed tainted fish, HRW added.
The rights group also accused Feronia of paying "severe hardship" wages, stating ladies were the lowest-paid, with some earning as little as $7.30 a month event fruit.
HRW said the development banks should make sure business they invest in pay living salaries to their employees.
What is the UK advancement bank's response?
In a declaration, CDC stated: "Palm Oil Mill Effluent (POME) is an organic mix of natural waste oils and fats and has been released into rivers given that the plantation entered being in 1911 and does not threaten human health.
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"A treatment plant for POME represents a multimillion dollar investment - cash that the business has actually chosen instead to invest on real estate, tidy water provision, healthcare and educational centers for workers, their families and other members of the local neighborhoods.
"It is the aim of the business to develop treatment plants for POME, but is regrettably not in a monetary position to do so currently as it continues to make heavy losses.
"In addition, the business has actually reconditioned or dug 72 new boreholes for the arrangement of clean water in the last six years."
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What does Feronia state?
The company stated working conditions had enhanced significantly given that the involvement of the European banks in 2013.
Employees were now paid substantially more than the minimum wage for agriculture in DR Congo and the average employee made $3.30 per day - greater than what a local instructor would earn, it said.
It also confirmed that it had invested considerably in access to safe drinking water.
"Feronia operates on a social mandate with local communities. Without their assistance we would not have the ability to operate. We acknowledge that there is still a lot to be done and are committed to running to worldwide standards. We will continue to work relentlessly to accomplish these goals," the company included a declaration.
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DR Congo Workers for Feronia made Impotent By Pesticides - HRW
christalxeh765 edited this page 2025-01-18 09:02:34 +08:00