DR Congo workers for Feronia made impotent by pesticides - HRW
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25 November 2019
Workers exposed to pesticides at a UK-funded company in the Democratic Republic of Congo have suffered ending up being impotent, a rights group has stated.
Feronia, which controls DR Congo's palm-oil sector, had stopped working to give workers appropriate protective devices, Human Rights Watch (HRW) stated.
The UK government's advancement bank, CDC, owns 38% of Feronia in DR Congo.
It said Feronia had invested greatly in protective devices and all workers were needed to wear it.
Feronia, a Canadian-based firm, said it was committed to operating to worldwide standards.
The firm included that it had spent $360,000 (₤ 280,000) on personal protective devices in the last three years, which employees had been trained to use, and it had implemented a policy needing the devices to be worn in the workplace.
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Feronia and its regional subsidiary, et Huileries du Congo (PHC), employ countless employees at palm oil plantations in DR Congo.
PHC has gotten countless 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 sabotaging their objective by failing to ensure the company they fund respects the rights of its workers and communities on the plantations," HRW researcher Luciana Téllez-Chávez stated.
What is HRW's proof?
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In a report entitled A Toxic Mix of Abuses on Congo's Oil Palm Plantations, external, HRW stated it had talked to more than 40 workers and two-thirds of them "informed us that they had ended up being impotent given that they began the job".
Impotence - along with shortness of breath, headaches, and weight loss that the employees grumbled about - were health problems "consistent with exposure to pesticides in basic, as explained in scientific literature", HRW stated.
"Many [likewise] experienced skin inflammation, itchiness, blisters, eye problems, or blurred vision - all signs 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 been spoken with had permeable cotton overalls - not the water resistant overalls.
"If pesticides unintentionally spilled, the harmful liquid would likely touch their skin," she added.
What else does HRW say?
At the Yaligimba plantation, the company disposed the waste from its palm oil mill next to employees' homes.
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The effluents formed a "foul-smelling stream", and ultimately streamed into a natural pond where ladies and children shower and clean cooking utensils.
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"Residents of a town of several hundred people downstream told us the river was their only source of drinking water," Ms Téllez-Chávez said.
If unchecked and neglected, effluent-dumping could ultimately likewise trigger fish to suffocate and pass away, or trigger large growths of algae that could negatively impact the health of people who entered into contact with polluted water or consumed tainted fish, HRW added.
The rights group likewise implicated Feronia of paying "severe poverty" earnings, saying ladies were the lowest-paid, with some earning as low as $7.30 a month event fruit.
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HRW stated the advancement banks should make sure business they buy pay living incomes to their employees.
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What is the UK development bank's reaction?
In a declaration, CDC said: "Palm Oil Mill Effluent (POME) is an organic mix of natural waste oils and fats and has actually been released into rivers since 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 financial investment - cash that the business has chosen instead to spend on real estate, clean water provision, healthcare and instructional centers for workers, their families and other members of the regional communities.
"It is the aim of the company to develop treatment plants for POME, however is regrettably not in a monetary 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 provision of clean water in the last six years."
What does Feronia say?
The business said working conditions had improved considerably given that the participation of the European banks in 2013.
Employees were now paid significantly more than the base pay for agriculture in DR Congo and the typical worker made $3.30 each day - higher than what a local instructor would make, it said.
It also confirmed that it had invested significantly in access to safe drinking water.
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"Feronia runs on a social required with local neighborhoods. Without their support we would not have the ability to operate. We recognise that there is still a good deal to be done and are devoted to operating to international standards. We will continue to work tirelessly to accomplish these objectives," the business added in a statement.
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DR Congo Workers for Feronia made Impotent By Pesticides - HRW
hectortabor59 edited this page 2025-01-17 22:04:54 +03:00