The World Bank’s internal watchdog, the Compliance Advisor Ombudsman (CAO), revealed that the bank’s International Finance Corporation (IFC) failed to comply with its own environmental and social requirements ahead of funding Bridge International Academies in Kenya in 2014 and during its supervision of it which ended last year.

Back in August, according to The Guardian, the CAO stated in its report submitted to the IFC that the corporation knew of abuse allegations but failed to deal with them or implement safeguards to prevent their continuation. Per the CAO, 21 cases of child sexual abuse by teaching staff at Bridge schools between 2014 and 2021 were filed. 

10 cases were confirmed in one of the schools in 2016 and said that the contracts of the teachers accused of abuse were ended after filing reports with the police, offering psychosocial support for victims, and engaging with the victims' parents and communities.

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David Pred, executive director of Inclusive Development International, which advocates for communities affected by investment projects, argued that the IFC "turned a blind eye to these risks, even when incidents of child sexual abuse were reported."

Violating its own policies

The IFC provided the 200-school chain $13.5m (£10.7m) between 2014 and 2022, when funding stopped, and although no reason was given for that, it coincided with the World Bank's policy of withdrawing funding for private, fee-charging schools.

The IFC’s managing director, Makhtar Diop, claimed the bank is "deeply disturbed" by the reports, in response to 32 civil society organizations calling for an independent investigation into the handling of the cases.

He said, "We do not tolerate any form of abuse in the projects we finance, and we are deeply grateful to the courageous survivors who came forward", adding "We are currently reviewing the [CAO] report and are committed to addressing the findings diligently and transparently."

According to the bank, it cooperated with Bridge to establish a child protection policy, hired child protection staff, and involved a global specialist to strengthen policies, though Bridge claimed the presence of "extensive" child protection measures since its opening in 2008.

Margaux Day, policy director of rights organization Accountability Counsel, asked, "How could we trust the institution [IFC] to do better next time if they can’t get it right in this very emblematic and egregious case?"

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A history of neglect

The cases were exposed in a 2018 complaint filed by the East African Centre for Human Rights (EACHRights) entailing concerns about health, safety, and labor rights at Bridge schools. As of now, EACHRights is engaged in mediation talks with Bridge on behalf of victims.

Anonymous CAO staff told The Guardian that their investigations had a "long history of pushback" from World Bank management as the Bridge case held "new extremes".

The IFC claims to have launched an in-depth probe to locate projects involved in gender-based violence and that four experts in gender-based violence have been assigned to support it while the World Bank reviews its policy on responding to projects causing environmental or social hazards.

On their part, rights groups argue that the bank has been hesitant in compensating victims.