Behind The Profits From Palm Oil Production Lies The Suffering Of Millions
Behind the billions in profits from palm oil production lies the suffering of millions of workers from the poorest parts of Asia.
According to an AP investigation, many people in the industry are experiencing various forms of exploitation, the most serious of which are child labor, direct slavery or even rape.
Palm oil is virtually impossible to avoid. It is often disguised on labels as an ingredient named under more than 200 names.
It is found in about half of the products on supermarket shelves and in most cosmetic brands. It is contained in paints, pesticides and pills. It is also found in animal feed, biofuels and even hand disinfectants.
As much as 85% of the world's palm oil production, worth about $ 65 billion, comes from Malaysia and Indonesia. The AP interviewed nearly 130 current and former employees of about two dozen palm oil companies from eight countries working on plantations in Malaysia and Indonesia.
Almost everyone complained about their treatment. Some claimed to have deceived them, threatened them, detained them against their will, or were forced to pay off unpaid debts. Others said they were regularly harassed by the authorities or detained in overcrowded government facilities.
"We work until we die," said one worker from a Malaysian plantation run by the government company Felda. AP reporters witnessed young children picking fruit alongside their parents. Many women reportedly work for free or receive a salary of only two dollars a day. Some workers even complained that they had been sexually harassed and even raped in the fields.