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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 firm in the Democratic Republic of Congo have complained of becoming impotent, a rights group has said.
Feronia, which dominates DR Congo's palm-oil sector, had actually failed to give employees appropriate protective devices, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said.
The UK federal government's development bank, CDC, owns 38% of Feronia in DR Congo.
It stated Feronia had actually invested heavily in protective equipment and all workers were needed to use it.
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Feronia, a Canadian-based firm, said it was dedicated to running to worldwide standards.
The firm added that it had spent $360,000 (₤ 280,000) on personal protective devices in the last 3 years, which workers had actually been trained to utilize, and it had actually executed a policy needing the devices to be worn in the office.
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Feronia and its regional subsidiary, Plantations et Huileries du Congo (PHC), employ thousands of employees at palm oil plantations in DR Congo.
PHC has received countless 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 objective by stopping working to ensure the business they finance appreciates the rights of its workers 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 stated it had actually spoken with more than 40 employees and two-thirds of them "told us that they had actually become impotent given that they began the job".
Impotence - together with shortness of breath, headaches, and weight-loss that the workers complained about - were illness "consistent with direct exposure to pesticides in basic, as described in scientific literature", .
"Many [also] suffered from skin inflammation, itchiness, blisters, eye problems, or blurred vision - all symptoms that follow what scientific texts and the products' 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 spoken with had permeable cotton overalls - not the water resistant overalls.
"If pesticides unintentionally spilled, the harmful liquid would likely touch their skin," she included.
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What else does HRW state?
At the Yaligimba plantation, the business disposed the waste from its palm oil mill beside workers' homes.
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The effluents formed a "foul-smelling stream", and ultimately streamed into a natural pond where females and kids bathe and clean cooking utensils.
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"Residents of a town of a number of hundred individuals downstream informed us the river was their only source of drinking water," Ms Téllez-Chávez said.
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If untreated and untreated, effluent-dumping might ultimately also cause fish to suffocate and die, or trigger large developments of algae that might adversely affect the health of individuals who entered into contact with polluted water or consumed tainted fish, HRW added.
The rights group also implicated Feronia of paying "extreme hardship" salaries, saying females were the lowest-paid, with some earning as low as $7.30 a month gathering fruit.
HRW stated the advancement banks should ensure the companies they invest in pay living incomes to their workers.
What is the UK development bank's action?
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In a declaration, CDC said: "Palm Oil Mill Effluent (POME) is a natural mix of natural waste oils and fats and has actually been released into rivers because the plantation entered into being 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 instead to invest in real estate, clean water provision, healthcare and educational centers for staff members, their families and other members of the local neighborhoods.
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"It is the objective of the company to construct treatment plants for POME, however is regrettably not in a monetary position to do so currently as it continues to make heavy losses.
"In addition, the company has actually reconditioned or dug 72 brand-new boreholes for the arrangement of clean water in the last six years."
What does Feronia say?
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The company said working conditions had improved considerably since the involvement of the European banks in 2013.
Employees were now paid significantly more than the base pay for agriculture in DR Congo and the average employee earned $3.30 per day - higher than what a regional teacher would earn, it said.
It also verified that it had invested considerably in access to safe drinking water.
"Feronia operates on a social required with regional communities. Without their support we would not have the ability to work. We recognise that there is still a good deal to be done and are devoted to running to international requirements. We will continue to work relentlessly to accomplish these goals," the business included a declaration.
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DR Congo Workers for Feronia made Impotent By Pesticides - HRW
vpnlucie979394 edited this page 2025-01-18 06:18:12 +08:00