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DR Congo Workers for Feronia made Impotent By Pesticides - HRW

DR Congo workers 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 experienced ending up being impotent, a rights group has actually stated.

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

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

It said Feronia had actually invested heavily in protective devices and all workers were needed to wear it.

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

The company included that it had actually invested $360,000 (₤ 280,000) on personal protective equipment in the last three years, which workers had been trained to utilize, and it had implemented a policy needing the devices to be used in the work environment.

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

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

"These banks can play an important role promoting development, however they are undermining their mission by failing to make sure the business they fund respects the rights of its workers and neighborhoods on the plantations," HRW researcher Luciana Téllez-Chávez said.

What is HRW's proof?

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

Impotence - along with shortness of breath, headaches, and weight-loss that the workers complained about - were health issue "consistent with direct exposure to pesticides in general, as described in clinical literature", HRW said.

"Many [likewise] struggled with skin inflammation, irritation, blisters, eye problems, or blurred vision - all symptoms that follow what clinical texts and the items' labels refer to as health consequences 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 waterproof overalls.

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

What else does HRW say?

At the Yaligimba plantation, the business disposed the waste from its palm oil mill beside workers' homes.

The effluents formed a "foul-smelling stream", and ultimately streamed into a natural pond where women and children bathe and clean cooking utensils.

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

If untreated and neglected, effluent-dumping could eventually also trigger fish to suffocate and die, or cause large developments of algae that might adversely impact the health of people who entered into contact with polluted water or consumed tainted fish, HRW added.

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

HRW said the advancement banks need to make sure business they invest in pay living incomes to their employees.

What is the UK development bank's response?

In a statement, CDC said: "Palm Oil Mill Effluent (POME) is a natural mix of natural waste oils and fats and has actually been discharged into rivers since the plantation came into remaining in 1911 and does not threaten human health.

"A treatment plant for POME represents a multimillion dollar financial investment - cash that the company has actually picked rather to invest on housing, clean water arrangement, healthcare and educational centers for staff members, their families and other members of the regional communities.

"It is the goal of the business to build treatment plants for POME, but 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 tidy water in the last six years."

What does Feronia say?

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

Employees were now paid significantly more than the base pay for farming in DR Congo and the typical worker made $3.30 daily - higher than what a local instructor would earn, it said.

It also confirmed that it had actually invested considerably in access to safe drinking water.

"Feronia runs on a social mandate with neighborhoods. Without their assistance we would not have the ability to operate. We acknowledge that there is still a great offer to be done and are committed to operating to global requirements. We will continue to work tirelessly to accomplish these objectives," the company included a declaration.

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