The Palm Oil Industry's Impact on People
Over 500 million people on earth live in the rainforest, and this includes the islands of Borneo and Sumatra, whose populations are composed mainly of forest dwelling people (Cruel Oil). Roughly a third of palm oil plantations are owned by small families who derive virtually all of their income from this economy. Millions of people rely on selling their oil to larger companies. Many families work directly for these larger companies and are paid below minimum wage and are abused. In many of these companies, education and healthcare are not provided. Many of these plantations fragment the land that belongs to native peoples and often the soil and water sources are polluted from the use of pesticides. Some companies however, are certified to be sustainable as they treat their workers well and provide schools and healthcare.
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Palm Oil Leads to Violence and Political Struggle
"In a country where indigenous activists and leaders defending their land are sometimes intimidated, harassed, and killed by palm oil companies and their collaborators, many Dayak villagers - who have practiced shifting cultivation in forests in Central Kalimantan for hundreds of years - do not understand why they have to go to court to defend forests against conversion to mono-crop palm plantations....Indigenous groups in Central Kalimantan, and their advocates, continue to call for recognition of their rights in the context of land development, to stop human rights violations against their communities and preserve their way of life."
Photo Credit: Dana Maclean |
Conflict in Indonesia's Papua Region
"The clearing of forests inhabited by indigenous people in Indonesia's Papua* Region by agribusinesses is fuelling conflict in the southern Merauke Regency, say campaigners... Over the past four years, at least 74 people have died in the village of Baad alone - one of more than 160 across Merauke- due to infighting between communities created by disagreements over the sale of land to agribusinesses, and police brutality, according to Leonardus Maklew, a Baad resident who has been representing nine Malind villages in negotiations to defend their land from an Indonesian sugar cane plantation since 2010."
Photo Courtesy: www.news.mongabay.com
Photo Courtesy: www.news.mongabay.com
Conflict in Indonesia's Papua Region
The Palm Industry Relies on Migrant and Forced Labor:
Low wages:
Poor Living Conditions:
Physical Abuse:
Risks to Health and Safety:
Sources: [1] Skinner, E. Benjamin. “Indonesia’s Palm Oil Industry Rife With Human-Rights Abuses.” Bloomsberg Businessweek, July 18, 2013. Accessed October 2, 2013.
http://www.businessweek.com/printer/articles/135488-indonesias-palm-oil-industry-rife-with-human-rights-abuses
[2] Accenture. “Exploitative Labor Practices in the Global Palm Oil Industry.” Humanity United, 2013. Accessed October 2, 2013.
http://humanityunited.org/pdfs/Modern_Slavery_in_the_Palm_Oil_Industry.pdf
- The palm oil industry employs a reported 3.7 million workers worldwide.
- Majority of workers (70%) are foreign migrants and forced into work.
- There are an estimated up to 200,000 “stateless” children in Malaysia. Children born to plantation workers in Malaysia are not granted citizenship there and are denied it by their parents' home countries.
Low wages:
- Workers are often denied payment, sometimes for up to 2 years
- Evidence that some workers are paid as little as 2¢ an hour
Poor Living Conditions:
- Plantations are often in rural areas. This means workers are taken far away from their families and not allowed to return for long periods of time.
- They are often forced into contracts and forced to do any work necessary by their employer
- Shelters are often make-shift without adequate protection from the elements
Physical Abuse:
- There have been documented cases of workers being beaten by contractors
Risks to Health and Safety:
- Workers exposed to harmful pesticides
- Workers often lack sanitary food sources and access to clean water
Sources: [1] Skinner, E. Benjamin. “Indonesia’s Palm Oil Industry Rife With Human-Rights Abuses.” Bloomsberg Businessweek, July 18, 2013. Accessed October 2, 2013.
http://www.businessweek.com/printer/articles/135488-indonesias-palm-oil-industry-rife-with-human-rights-abuses
[2] Accenture. “Exploitative Labor Practices in the Global Palm Oil Industry.” Humanity United, 2013. Accessed October 2, 2013.
http://humanityunited.org/pdfs/Modern_Slavery_in_the_Palm_Oil_Industry.pdf