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DR Congo workers for Feronia made impotent by pesticides - HRW

25 November 2019
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Workers exposed to pesticides at a UK-funded firm in the Democratic Republic of Congo have actually suffered becoming impotent, a rights group has stated.

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

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

It stated Feronia had actually invested greatly in protective devices and all employees were needed to wear it.

Feronia, a Canadian-based firm, stated it was devoted to operating to global standards.

The company added that it had actually spent $360,000 (₤ 280,000) on individual protective devices in the last three years, which workers had been trained to use, and it had implemented a policy requiring the devices to be used in the office.

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Feronia and its local 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 role promoting development, however they are undermining their mission by failing to make sure the company they fund appreciates the rights of its employees and neighborhoods on the plantations," HRW scientist Luciana Téllez-Chávez said.

What is HRW's proof?

In a report entitled A Harmful Mix of Abuses on Congo's Oil Palm Plantations, external, HRW stated it had interviewed more than 40 employees and two-thirds of them "informed us that they had ended up being impotent given that they started the task".
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Impotence - together with shortness of breath, headaches, and weight-loss that the workers grumbled about - were health issue "constant with exposure to pesticides in basic, as described in clinical literature", HRW said.

"Many [likewise] experienced skin inflammation, itching, blisters, eye problems, or blurred vision - all signs that are consistent with what clinical texts and the items' labels explain as health repercussions of direct exposure to these pesticides," the rights group added.

Ms Téllez-Chávez stated workers who had actually been talked to had permeable cotton overalls - not the waterproof overalls.

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

What else does HRW say?

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 eventually flowed into a natural pond where ladies and kids bathe and clean cooking utensils.

"Residents of a village of a number of hundred individuals downstream informed 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 suffocate and pass away, or trigger big growths of algae that might negatively impact the health of individuals who entered into contact with contaminated water or taken in tainted fish, HRW added.

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

HRW said the advancement banks must ensure business they purchase pay living salaries to their employees.

What is the UK development bank's action?

In a declaration, CDC stated: "Palm Oil Mill Effluent (POME) is an organic mix of natural waste oils and fats and has been discharged into rivers considering that the plantation entered into remaining in 1911 and does not threaten human health.

"A treatment plant for POME represents a multimillion dollar investment - cash that the company has selected instead to invest in housing, tidy water provision, healthcare and educational centers for workers, their households and other members of the regional communities.

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

What does Feronia say?

The business stated working conditions had actually enhanced substantially since the participation of the European banks in 2013.

Employees were now paid substantially more than the base pay for farming in DR Congo and the typical worker earned $3.30 per day - greater than what a local teacher would earn, it said.

It also verified that it had actually invested substantially in access to safe drinking water.
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"Feronia operates on a social mandate with regional communities. Without their assistance we would not have the to function. We identify that there is still a lot to be done and are dedicated to operating to worldwide requirements. We will continue to work relentlessly to achieve these objectives," the business included a statement.
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