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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 stated.

Feronia, which controls DR Congo's palm-oil sector, had actually stopped working to offer workers sufficient protective equipment, Human Rights Watch (HRW) stated.
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The UK government's development bank, CDC, owns 38% of Feronia in DR Congo.

It stated Feronia had actually invested greatly in protective devices and all workers were required to wear it.
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Feronia, a Canadian-based firm, stated it was committed to operating to international requirements.

The firm added that it had invested $360,000 (₤ 280,000) on individual protective devices in the last 3 years, which employees had been trained to use, and it had carried out a policy needing the devices to be used in the workplace.

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Feronia and its regional subsidiary, Plantations et du Congo (PHC), employ countless 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 important function promoting development, however they are sabotaging their objective by stopping working to ensure the company they finance appreciates the rights of its employees and neighborhoods on the plantations," HRW scientist Luciana Téllez-Chávez said.

What is HRW's evidence?

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 become impotent considering that they began the task".
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Impotence - together with shortness of breath, headaches, and weight loss that the employees complained about - were health issue "consistent with direct exposure to pesticides in basic, as described in scientific literature", HRW said.

"Many [also] experienced skin irritation, itchiness, blisters, eye problems, or blurred vision - all symptoms that are consistent with what scientific texts and the items' labels refer to as health consequences of direct exposure to these pesticides," the rights group included.
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Ms Téllez-Chávez said workers who had actually been talked to had permeable cotton overalls - not the waterproof overalls.

"If pesticides mistakenly spilled, the hazardous liquid would likely touch their skin," she added.
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What else does HRW say?
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At the Yaligimba plantation, the business dumped the waste from its palm oil mill next to employees' homes.

The effluents formed a "foul-smelling stream", and ultimately streamed into a natural pond where ladies and kids bathe and clean cooking utensils.
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"Residents of a town of a number of hundred people downstream told us the river was their only source of drinking water," Ms Téllez-Chávez stated.

If untreated and neglected, effluent-dumping might eventually likewise trigger fish to suffocate and pass away, or cause large developments of algae that might negatively affect the health of individuals who entered contact with contaminated water or consumed tainted fish, HRW included.

The rights group likewise accused Feronia of paying "severe hardship" earnings, stating ladies were the lowest-paid, with some earning as little as $7.30 a month gathering fruit.
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HRW stated the advancement banks should make sure the services they invest in pay living earnings to their workers.

What is the UK advancement bank's response?

In a declaration, CDC stated: "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 investment - cash that the business has selected instead to invest on real estate, clean water provision, health care and academic facilities for staff members, their families and other members of the regional neighborhoods.

"It is the aim of the business to develop treatment plants for POME, but is regrettably not in a financial position to do so presently 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 tidy water in the last six years."

What does Feronia state?
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The business stated 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 farming in DR Congo and the average worker made $3.30 per day - greater than what a regional instructor would make, it stated.

It likewise verified that it had invested considerably in access to safe drinking water.
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"Feronia runs on a social required with local communities. Without their support we would not have the ability to function. We acknowledge that there is still a great offer to be done and are committed to operating to international standards. We will continue to work relentlessly to attain these goals," the company included a declaration.

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