Indonesia is the world’s biggest palm oil producer, with an estimated 7.6 million women working in its fields, about half the total workforce, according to the female empowerment ministry. In much-smaller Malaysia, the figures are harder to nail down due to the large number of foreign migrants working off the books.
As the decades passed, palm oil became an essential ingredient for the food industry, which saw it as a substitute for unhealthy trans fats. And cosmetic companies, which were shifting away from animal- or petroleum-based ingredients, were captivated by its miracle properties: It foams in toothpaste and shaving gel, moisturizes soaps and lathers in shampoo.
The day she was attacked in 2017, she said the boss took her to a remote part of the estate, where her job was to ferry wheelbarrows laden with the bright orange palm oil fruits he hacked from the trees. Suddenly, she said, he grabbed her arm and started pawing her breasts, throwing her to the jungle floor. Afterward, she said, he held the ax to her throat.Then, she said, he stood up and spit on her.
While Indonesia has laws in place to protect women from abuse and discrimination, Rafail Walangitan of the Ministry of Women Empowerment and Child Protection said he was aware of many problems identified by the AP on palm oil plantations, including child labor and sexual harassment.“We have to work hard on this,” he said, noting the government still has a long way to go.
Many families living on plantations struggle to earn enough to cover basic costs, like electricity and rice. Desperate women are sometimes coerced into using their bodies to pay back loans from supervisors or other workers. And younger females, especially those considered attractive, occasionally are given less demanding jobs like cleaning the boss’ house, with sex expected in exchange.
A powerful global industry group, the Consumer Goods Forum, published a 2018 report alerting the network’s 400 CEOs that women on plantations were exposed to dangerous chemicals and “subject to the worst conditions among all palm oil workers.” It also noted that a few local groups had cited examples of women being forced to provide sex to secure or keep jobs, but said few workers were willing to discuss the sensitive issue.
That includes Indonesian companies like London Sumatra, which withdrew from the RSPO last year after the association cited it for a series of labor abuses. London Sumatra told the AP that it adheres to labor laws and takes “the health of our workers very seriously.”
Hypocrisy Doctor
Thankfully I don’t use any of these ! Always stuck to virgin coconut oil 😇
Loreal JNJGlobalHealth Unilever ProcterGamble TomsofMaine Kiehls CP_News bathbodyworks COTYInc EsteeLauder SHISEIDO_USA BurtsBees You all should be ashamed! Until you can do better don't expect me to buy your products!
MY EXISTENCE HAS BEEN HIDDEN FROM THE WORLD I AM MARGINALIZED FOR MY DISABILITY ASSAULT AND PERMANENT DISFIGUREMENT AND A 15 YEAR RECOVERY since 2006 NOT PROSECUTED COVERED UP I WAS A CHILD It's FAILURE to PROTECT AND CRUELTY TO CHILDREN It's CONSPIRACY
pay attention - that's a journo - hell NOOOOOOO! pay a small amount of money to get them someone to teach them to be self reliant!
Maybe AP could ask some Amish people to show them how to be self reliant & pay for them to go to these people's places to set them up with chickens & ducks etc.
If they can't live without doing this work because not one person will give them work or the means to grow/buy & sell food, then they should make a Travois. They shouldn't work there if their lives are ruined by the working conditions.
yurikageyama To the MeToo movement, it's about time to ditch these products/companies
Dumb grandstanding move from dumb AP reporters. Not a supporter of palm oil, but this photo will prompt at least financial backlash to the palm oil companies which will financially affect the women. And I dont want to imagine the worst case scenario.
CurtessaJacques OlaySkin Dove unileverusa Care to comment?
CP_News Unilever Loreal so you’re into human trafficking now?
nixonron Any idea how I could get ahold of one of these workers for a podcast interview?
Kiehls let us know you’re looking into this and remedying any supply chain issues. Won’t be buying again until I know you’re a socially conscious brand.
GeorgiaDiPirro UrbanDecay Clinique Women’s lives are worth more than your mascaras and lipsticks. Rape, enslavement, and pesticide exposure don’t look good on your product lines.
Hi, do you have a listing of the companies involved? Thanks
Horrendous corporate corruption and greed!
Dove VaselineBrand Unilever are you guys aware of this news? demand clarification.
🥺 Dove?
greta Now do cobalt mines for electric cars
I mean, my lord it's super cold and brutal and just disheartening... but what if your boycott ends up crushing these companies and these women can't work in these places anymore, sure they are 'saved' but some of them cannot feed their families without these jobs. Then they die.
This is absolutely infuriating that liberal women in the West who benefit from these cheaply sourced products aren't speaking out more. Conservatives don't give af, but we should speak out more and stop benefiting using anything from these cruel brands. These are people too!
Colgate OlaySkin shame on both of you for allowing this to happen.
I didn't realize palm oil was in so many products. I will not use anything using palm oil in the future!
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