Human rights advocates, civil society leaders and even the mainstream media have cast heavy criticism at the World Bank for its treatment of high-profile human rights abuse cases linked to bank-financed projects.
In Uzbekistan, a World Bank financed project supported a cotton industry notorious for child labor and forced labor. And in Nigeria, government authorities evicted approximately 9,000 Lagos slum residents from their homes during the implementation of a World Bank urban development project.
In both cases, the World Bank’s Inspection Panel — the independent accountability mechanism designed to ensure the global financial institution complies with its operational policies and procedures — declined to conduct a formal investigation.