DR Congo workers for Feronia made impotent by pesticides - HRW

25 November 2019

Workers exposed to pesticides at a UK-funded firm in the Democratic Republic of Congo have actually grumbled of becoming impotent, a rights group has actually said.

Feronia, which controls DR Congo's palm-oil sector, had actually stopped working to provide workers appropriate 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 invested greatly in protective devices and all workers were required to use it.
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Feronia, a Canadian-based firm, said it was dedicated to running to international standards.

The company included that it had invested $360,000 (₤ 280,000) on individual protective equipment in the last three years, which workers had been trained to use, and it had actually carried out a policy requiring the devices to be worn in the office.

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

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

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

What is HRW's evidence?
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In a report entitled A Hazardous Mix of Abuses on Congo's Oil Palm Plantations, external, HRW stated it had actually spoken with more than 40 employees and two-thirds of them "informed us that they had actually become impotent given that they started the task".

Impotence - in addition to shortness of breath, headaches, and weight loss that the workers complained about - were health problems "consistent with exposure to pesticides in basic, as described in clinical literature", HRW stated.

"Many [likewise] struggled with skin inflammation, itchiness, blisters, eye issues, or blurred vision - all symptoms that are consistent with what clinical texts and the products' labels refer to as health effects of exposure to these pesticides," the rights group included.
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Ms Téllez-Chávez stated employees who had been talked to had permeable cotton overalls - not the water resistant overalls.

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

What else does HRW say?

At the Yaligimba plantation, the business dumped the waste from its palm oil mill next to workers' homes.

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

"Residents of a village of numerous hundred individuals downstream told us the river was their only source of drinking water," Ms Téllez-Chávez stated.
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If unchecked and neglected, effluent-dumping could ultimately also cause fish to suffocate and pass away, or cause large growths of algae that could adversely affect the health of people who came into contact with contaminated water or taken in tainted fish, HRW included.

The rights group also implicated Feronia of paying "extreme poverty" salaries, saying women were the lowest-paid, with some earning as little as $7.30 a month event fruit.
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HRW said the development banks need to guarantee the companies they invest in pay living incomes to their workers.

What is the UK development bank's reaction?

In a statement, CDC stated: "Palm Oil Mill Effluent (POME) is an organic mix of natural waste oils and fats and has actually been discharged into rivers considering that the plantation came into 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 chosen instead to invest on housing, clean water provision, healthcare and academic centers for workers, their households and other members of the local neighborhoods.

"It is the aim of the company to construct treatment plants for POME, but is unfortunately not in a monetary position to do so currently as it continues to make heavy losses.
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"In addition, the company has reconditioned or dug 72 new boreholes for the provision of clean water in the last 6 years."

What does Feronia say?

The business said working conditions had improved considerably given that the involvement of the European banks in 2013.

Employees were now paid considerably more than the base pay for agriculture in DR Congo and the typical worker made $3.30 each day - higher than what a regional instructor would make, it stated.

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

"Feronia runs on a social required with . Without their support we would not be able to function. We acknowledge that there is still a good deal to be done and are committed to operating to international requirements. We will continue to work tirelessly to accomplish these goals," the company added in a declaration.

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