The International Finance Corporation (IFC), a private sector wing of the World Bank has declined to compensate victims of abuse who suffered at schools that the organisation funded in India and various African countries including Kenya.
Bloomberg and The Intercept both reported that IFC is on record refusing to make the payments to the individuals left with traumatic experiences.
According to The Intercept, the World Bank Group’s Executive Board is set to vote on whether to approve IFC's plan to remedy the harms related to its Ksh173.9 million investment in a group of schools following the conclusion of a lengthy investigation in December.
However, as reported by The Intercept, IFC's proposal is not to compensate the victims.
Some of the victims interviewed by the media outlet revealed that the abuse was either physical, sexual or financial while in the different schools. Others in India where the World Bank funds similar schools also decried abuse and unforthcoming compensation.
One of the victims stated she was assaulted at one of the schools as a child and was seeking compensation because of her father's relentless search for justice.
IFC is accused of failing to address complaints from victims who alleged that they were abused by members of the staff at the schools.
Per the Compliance Advisor Ombudsman (CAO), the schools in question had allegedly failed to adhere to school safety and labour practices. The ombudsman had asked IFC and the schools to work out a compensation plan.
Since the first incident was reported in 2016, civil society groups have pressured the body to take responsibility for the issue and compensate the victims.
"Any organisation that is serious about their commitment to child protection and their duty of care to children in their custody would do everything possible to support these girls right now and to compensate them for the long-term harm they have suffered," David Pred, executive director of Inclusive Development International emphasised.
IFC invested about Ksh1.76 billion (USD13.5 million) in the school located in Nairobi where over 100 students suffered preventable injuries at the school.
Notably, IFC had revealed plans to fund a program that would offer counselling and other forms of support to the victims of child sexual abuse.
