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

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DR Congo workers for Feronia made impotent by pesticides - HRW
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25 November 2019

exposed to pesticides at a UK-funded firm in the Democratic Republic of Congo have experienced ending up being impotent, a rights group has actually said.

Feronia, which dominates DR Congo's palm-oil sector, had actually stopped working to offer employees sufficient protective equipment, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said.

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

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

Feronia, a Canadian-based company, said it was devoted to operating to international standards.
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The company included that it had invested $360,000 (₤ 280,000) on personal protective devices in the last three years, which employees had been trained to utilize, and it had implemented a policy requiring the equipment to be worn in the work environment.

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Feronia and its local subsidiary, Plantations et Huileries du Congo (PHC), utilize thousands of workers at palm oil plantations in DR Congo.

PHC has received millions of dollars from the development banks of Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands and the UK.

"These banks can play a crucial function promoting development, but they are undermining their mission by failing to guarantee the company they fund respects the rights of its workers and communities on the plantations," HRW scientist Luciana Téllez-Chávez stated.

What is HRW's proof?

In a report entitled A Toxic 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 ended up being impotent considering that they started the task".

Impotence - along with shortness of breath, headaches, and weight loss that the employees grumbled about - were health issues "consistent with exposure to pesticides in general, as explained in clinical literature", HRW stated.

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

Ms Téllez-Chávez said employees who had actually been interviewed had permeable cotton overalls - not the water resistant overalls.

"If pesticides accidentally spilled, the poisonous liquid would likely touch their skin," she added.

What else does HRW state?

At the Yaligimba plantation, the company dumped the waste from its palm oil mill beside employees' homes.
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The effluents formed a "foul-smelling stream", and ultimately flowed into a natural pond where females and children bathe and wash cooking utensils.
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"Residents of a town of several hundred individuals downstream told us the river was their only source of drinking water," Ms Téllez-Chávez said.

If uncontrolled and unattended, effluent-dumping could ultimately also trigger fish to suffocate and die, or trigger large developments of algae that could negatively affect the health of individuals who entered contact with contaminated water or consumed tainted fish, HRW added.

The rights group also implicated Feronia of paying "severe hardship" wages, stating ladies were the lowest-paid, with some earning just $7.30 a month gathering fruit.

HRW stated the development banks must guarantee business they invest in pay living incomes to their employees.

What is the UK advancement bank's action?
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In a statement, CDC said: "Palm Oil Mill Effluent (POME) is a natural mix of natural waste oils and fats and has actually been released into rivers since the plantation came into being in 1911 and does not threaten human health.

"A treatment plant for POME represents a multimillion dollar financial investment - money that the business has picked instead to invest in real estate, tidy water provision, healthcare and instructional facilities for workers, their households and other members of the regional neighborhoods.

"It is the objective of the company to build treatment plants for POME, but is unfortunately 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 brand-new boreholes for the arrangement of tidy water in the last 6 years."
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What does Feronia state?

The company said working conditions had actually improved substantially given that the involvement of the European banks in 2013.

Employees were now paid considerably more than the minimum wage for agriculture in DR Congo and the typical employee made $3.30 each day - greater than what a regional teacher would make, it stated.

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

"Feronia runs on a social mandate with regional communities. Without their assistance we would not be able to operate. We acknowledge that there is still a great offer to be done and are devoted to running to international standards. We will continue to work tirelessly to achieve these objectives," the company included a statement.

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