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 experienced becoming impotent, a rights group has stated.
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Feronia, which controls DR Congo's palm-oil sector, had actually stopped working to give workers sufficient devices, Human Rights Watch (HRW) stated.
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The UK federal government's advancement bank, CDC, owns 38% of Feronia in DR Congo.

It stated Feronia had actually invested heavily in protective equipment and all workers were required to use it.
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Feronia, a Canadian-based company, stated it was dedicated to running to global standards.

The company added that it had invested $360,000 (₤ 280,000) on individual protective equipment in the last three years, which employees had been trained to utilize, and it had executed a policy requiring the devices to be used in the workplace.

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Feronia and its regional subsidiary, Plantations et Huileries du Congo (PHC), employ thousands of workers at palm oil plantations in DR Congo.
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PHC has received countless dollars from the advancement banks of Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands and the UK.

"These banks can play an important role promoting advancement, however they are undermining their mission by stopping working to guarantee the business they fund appreciates the rights of its employees and neighborhoods on the plantations," HRW scientist Luciana Téllez-Chávez stated.

What is HRW's proof?

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

Impotence - along with shortness of breath, headaches, and weight reduction that the workers grumbled about - were illness "consistent with exposure to pesticides in basic, as described in scientific literature", HRW said.

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

Ms Téllez-Chávez stated employees who had actually been interviewed had permeable cotton overalls - not the waterproof overalls.

"If pesticides inadvertently spilled, the toxic liquid would likely touch their skin," she added.
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What else does HRW state?
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At the Yaligimba plantation, the company dumped 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 women and children shower and clean cooking utensils.

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

If unattended and untreated, effluent-dumping might eventually likewise cause fish to suffocate and pass away, or trigger large developments of algae that might negatively affect the health of people who came into contact with polluted water or consumed tainted fish, HRW added.

The rights group likewise implicated Feronia of paying "extreme hardship" salaries, stating ladies were the lowest-paid, with some earning as low as $7.30 a month event fruit.

HRW said the advancement banks ought to ensure business they invest in pay living wages to their employees.

What is the UK advancement bank's reaction?

In a declaration, CDC stated: "Palm Oil Mill Effluent (POME) is a natural mix of natural waste oils and fats and has actually been released into rivers considering that the plantation entered into remaining 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 chosen rather to spend on housing, tidy water provision, health care and educational centers for employees, their households and other members of the regional neighborhoods.

"It is the aim of the business to build treatment plants for POME, however is unfortunately not in a monetary position to do so currently as it continues to make heavy losses.

"In addition, the business has reconditioned or dug 72 new boreholes for the provision of tidy water in the last 6 years."

What does Feronia state?

The company said working conditions had improved significantly since the participation 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 earned $3.30 per day - greater than what a local teacher would make, it stated.

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

"Feronia operates on a social required with regional communities. Without their assistance we would not be able to work. We acknowledge that there is still a lot to be done and are dedicated to running to global requirements. We will continue to work tirelessly to accomplish these objectives," the company included a statement.

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