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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 company in the Democratic Republic of Congo have complained of becoming impotent, a rights group has actually said.
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Feronia, which dominates DR Congo's palm-oil sector, had actually failed to offer 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 said Feronia had actually invested heavily in protective equipment and all workers were required to use it.
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Feronia, a Canadian-based firm, stated it was committed to running to worldwide standards.

The firm included that it had actually spent $360,000 (₤ 280,000) on individual protective equipment in the last 3 years, which employees had been trained to use, and it had actually executed a policy needing the devices to be used in the workplace.
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Feronia and its regional subsidiary, Plantations et Huileries du Congo (PHC), employ countless employees at palm oil in DR Congo.
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PHC has actually received millions of dollars from the advancement banks of Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands and the UK.
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"These banks can play an important function promoting development, but they are sabotaging their mission by failing to make sure the company they finance respects the rights of its employees and communities on the plantations," HRW scientist Luciana Téllez-Chávez stated.

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 said it had actually interviewed more than 40 workers and two-thirds of them "told us that they had ended up being impotent since they began the task".
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Impotence - together with shortness of breath, headaches, and weight loss that the workers complained about - were illness "constant with exposure to pesticides in basic, as described in scientific literature", HRW stated.

"Many [also] suffered from skin inflammation, itchiness, blisters, eye issues, or blurred vision - all symptoms that are constant with what clinical texts and the products' labels refer to as health repercussions of exposure to these pesticides," the rights group included.

Ms Téllez-Chávez stated employees who had actually been spoken with 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 company disposed the waste from its palm oil mill next to employees' homes.

The effluents formed a "foul-smelling stream", and eventually streamed into a natural pond where ladies and kids bathe and wash cooking utensils.
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"Residents of a village of several hundred individuals downstream informed us the river was their only source of drinking water," Ms Téllez-Chávez stated.

If unchecked and neglected, effluent-dumping might ultimately also cause fish to suffocate and pass away, or cause big growths of algae that might adversely impact the health of people who entered into contact with contaminated water or consumed tainted fish, HRW included.

The rights group likewise implicated Feronia of paying "extreme hardship" earnings, saying ladies were the lowest-paid, with some earning as little as $7.30 a month gathering fruit.

HRW stated the advancement banks ought to guarantee business they purchase pay living incomes to their workers.
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What is the UK advancement bank's action?

In a declaration, CDC said: "Palm Oil Mill Effluent (POME) is a natural mix of natural waste oils and fats and has been released into rivers considering that the plantation entered into being in 1911 and does not threaten human health.

"A treatment plant for POME represents a multimillion dollar investment - cash that the business has picked instead to invest on real estate, tidy water arrangement, healthcare and educational centers for workers, their families and other members of the regional neighborhoods.

"It is the objective of the company to construct treatment plants for POME, but is unfortunately not in a financial position to do so currently as it continues to make heavy losses.
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"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 said working conditions had actually improved considerably considering that the involvement of the European banks in 2013.

Employees were now paid significantly more than the minimum wage for agriculture in DR Congo and the average employee earned $3.30 per day - higher than what a regional teacher would make, it stated.

It also verified that it had invested considerably in access to safe drinking water.
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"Feronia runs on a social mandate with local communities. Without their assistance we would not have the ability to operate. We recognise that there is still a great offer to be done and are dedicated to operating to international requirements. We will continue to work relentlessly to accomplish these goals," the company included a statement.

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