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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 firm in the Democratic Republic of Congo have actually grumbled of ending up being impotent, a rights group has stated.

Feronia, which controls DR Congo's palm-oil sector, had failed to give workers adequate protective devices, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said.

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

It stated Feronia had actually invested heavily in protective equipment and all employees were required to use it.

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

The company included that it had actually invested $360,000 (₤ 280,000) on individual protective equipment in the last three years, which workers had actually been trained to utilize, and it had executed a policy needing the equipment to be used in the work environment.
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Feronia and its regional subsidiary, Plantations et Huileries du Congo (PHC), utilize countless employees at palm oil plantations in DR Congo.
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PHC has gotten countless dollars from the advancement banks of Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands and the UK.
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"These banks can play a crucial role promoting development, however they are sabotaging their mission by failing to make sure the company they fund appreciates the rights of its workers and communities on the plantations," HRW researcher Luciana Téllez-Chávez stated.
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What is HRW's proof?

In a report entitled A Toxic Mix of Abuses on Congo's Oil Palm Plantations, external, HRW stated it had actually interviewed more than 40 workers and two-thirds of them "informed us that they had ended up being impotent because they began the task".

Impotence - along with shortness of breath, headaches, and weight loss that the workers complained about - were health problems "constant with direct exposure to pesticides in basic, as explained in scientific literature", HRW stated.

"Many [also] suffered from skin inflammation, itching, blisters, eye problems, or blurred vision - all symptoms that follow what clinical texts and the products' labels refer to as health consequences of direct exposure to these pesticides," the rights group added.
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Ms Téllez-Chávez stated employees who had actually been talked to had permeable cotton overalls - not the waterproof overalls.
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"If pesticides mistakenly spilled, the hazardous liquid would likely touch their skin," she added.
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What else does HRW state?

At the Yaligimba plantation, the company disposed the waste from its palm oil mill beside workers' homes.
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The effluents formed a "foul-smelling stream", and ultimately flowed into a natural pond where women and children bathe and wash cooking utensils.

"Residents of a village of a number of hundred people downstream informed us the river was their only source of drinking water," Ms Téllez-Chávez stated.

If untreated and untreated, effluent-dumping could eventually also cause fish to suffocate and die, or trigger big developments of algae that could negatively affect the health of people who came into contact with contaminated water or consumed tainted fish, HRW included.

The rights group likewise of paying "extreme hardship" earnings, saying ladies were the lowest-paid, with some earning just $7.30 a month gathering fruit.
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HRW said the advancement banks must ensure the services they buy pay living wages to their employees.

What is the UK development bank's action?

In a statement, CDC stated: "Palm Oil Mill Effluent (POME) is a natural mix of natural waste oils and fats and has actually been discharged into rivers given that the plantation entered into 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 selected instead to invest in housing, tidy water provision, healthcare and academic centers for workers, their families and other members of the regional communities.

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

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

What does Feronia state?
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The company stated working conditions had actually improved considerably considering that 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 worker made $3.30 daily - greater than what a regional instructor would make, it stated.

It also verified that it had actually invested substantially in access to safe drinking water.

"Feronia operates on a social mandate with local communities. Without their support we would not be able to operate. We recognise that there is still an excellent deal to be done and are devoted to operating to global standards. We will continue to work tirelessly to attain these objectives," the business included a statement.
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