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 complained of becoming impotent, a rights group has stated.

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

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 required to use it.

Feronia, a Canadian-based company, said it was committed to operating to worldwide standards.

The firm added that it had spent $360,000 (₤ 280,000) on individual protective equipment in the last 3 years, which employees had actually been trained to utilize, and it had actually 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), use thousands of employees at palm oil plantations in DR Congo.

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

"These banks can play an essential function promoting advancement, however they are sabotaging their objective by stopping working to ensure the company they fund appreciates the rights of its employees and communities 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 said it had actually interviewed more than 40 workers and two-thirds of them "told us that they had actually ended up being impotent since they began the job".

Impotence - in addition to shortness of breath, headaches, and weight reduction that the employees complained about - were health issues "constant with direct exposure to pesticides in general, as explained in clinical literature", HRW stated.

"Many [likewise] suffered from skin irritation, irritation, blisters, eye issues, or blurred vision - all symptoms that follow what scientific texts and the items' labels refer to as health effects of direct exposure to these pesticides," the rights group included.

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

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

What else does HRW say?

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

The effluents formed a "foul-smelling stream", and eventually streamed into a natural pond where ladies and kids bathe and wash cooking utensils.

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

If unchecked and without treatment, effluent-dumping might ultimately also trigger fish to suffocate and pass away, or trigger big developments of algae that could negatively affect the health of people who entered into contact with polluted water or consumed tainted fish, HRW included.

The rights group likewise accused of paying "extreme hardship" wages, saying ladies were the lowest-paid, with some earning just $7.30 a month event fruit.

HRW stated the advancement banks need to guarantee business they buy pay living salaries to their employees.

What is the UK development bank's reaction?

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

"A treatment plant for POME represents a multimillion dollar financial investment - money that the company has actually picked rather to invest in housing, tidy water provision, healthcare and educational centers for employees, their households and other members of the local communities.

"It is the goal of the company to develop treatment plants for POME, but is sadly not in a financial position to do so currently as it continues to make heavy losses.

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

What does Feronia say?

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

Employees were now paid significantly more than the minimum wage for agriculture in DR Congo and the typical worker made $3.30 per day - higher than what a local teacher would earn, it said.

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

"Feronia runs on a social mandate with regional communities. Without their assistance we would not have the ability to work. We recognise that there is still a lot to be done and are devoted to running to global requirements. We will continue to work tirelessly to attain these objectives," the company included in a statement.

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