The World Bank faces accusations of negligence in preventing child abuse at a funded school chain in Kenya. The bank's internal watchdog, the Compliance Advisor Ombudsman (CAO), found that the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a World Bank entity, did not meet its own environmental and social requirements before commencing funding for Bridge International Academies in 2014. The CAO's report, submitted to the IFC in August and disclosed by The Guardian, reveals that the IFC, throughout its supervision of the project until its conclusion last year, was aware of abuse allegations but failed to ensure proper handling of cases or the implementation of safeguards against future abuse.The Compliance Advisor Ombudsman (CAO) revealed 21 cases of child sexual abuse by teaching staff at Bridge schools funded by the World Bank's International Finance Corporation (IFC) between 2014 and 2021. Bridge acknowledged 10 reported cases in 2016, claiming to have terminated the implicated teachers' contracts, collaborated with the police, and provided support to victims and their communities. Critics, including David Pred of Inclusive Development International, accused the IFC of neglecting risks and ignoring reported abuse incidents. The IFC, which invested $13.5 million in the for-profit school chain from 2014 to 2021, stopped funding without specifying a reason, coinciding with its policy shift away from supporting private fee-charging schools.
Makhtar Diop, IFC's managing director, expressed deep concern over the abuse reports, promising a thorough review and transparent addressing of the findings. The IFC claimed collaboration with Bridge to establish a child protection policy and hiring dedicated staff, while Bridge asserted the presence of extensive child protection measures since its establishment in 2008. Critics, including Margaux Day of Accountability Counsel, questioned the IFC's trustworthiness, prompting US Senators Elizabeth Warren and Peter Welch to call for an independent investigation. The abuse cases emerged during a CAO investigation into health, safety, and labor rights concerns raised by the East African Centre for Human Rights in 2018, with ongoing mediation talks over alleged rights violations by Bridge. CAO staff, speaking anonymously, cited historical pushback against investigations and described the Bridge case as reaching "new extremes." The IFC, responding to concerns, initiated a review of projects with elevated gender-based violence risks, hiring experts in the field. The World Bank is also reviewing its policy on addressing environmental or social harm caused by its projects.Critics, including rights groups, argue that the World Bank, particularly its International Finance Corporation (IFC), has been unwilling to directly compensate victims, instead deferring that responsibility to the organizations it supports. Margaux Day of Accountability Counsel expressed concern over the IFC's approach, stating that it persists in transferring risk onto communities rather than assuming direct responsibility. Day remarked, "If its response to Bridge is any indication of the IFC's overall posture toward remedy, then we should be seriously worried." This reluctance to take direct responsibility for compensation has raised questions about the effectiveness of the IFC's commitment to addressing the consequences of the issues arising from its funded projects.
