LONDON (Guardian) -- Male staff at a leading Kenyan carbon-offsetting project used by Netflix, Shell and other large companies have been accused of extensive sexual abuse and harassment over more than a decade, following an investigation by two NGOs.
The Kasigau Corridor conservation project in southern Kenya, operated by the California-based firm Wildlife Works, generates carbon credits by protecting dryland forests at risk of being destroyed in key elephant, lion and wildlife habitats west of Mombasa. The scheme was the first ever forest protection scheme approved by Verra, the world’s leading certifier of carbon offsets, and has also been accredited for its biodiversity and community benefits, probably generating millions of dollars in revenue in carbon-credit sales.
A new report by the Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC) and the Centre for Research on Multinational Corporations (Somo), a Dutch NGO, alleges extensive sexual abuse, harassment and exploitation between 2011 and 2023 by senior male employees of Wildlife Works, according to the testimonies of 31 current and former male and female staff as well as members of the local community.
In a statement on Friday, which was updated on Sunday, Wildlife Works’ president, Mike Korchinsky, said after the company was made aware of the allegations in August, it suspended three people. An internal investigation conducted by a Kenyan law firm found evidence that two individuals had engaged in “deeply inappropriate and harmful behavior”, he said.
Korchinsky apologized for the “pain that had been caused” but denied the problem was widespread, saying that the substantiated sexual harassment misconduct had been perpetrated by one individual. He also said some of the allegations had not been substantiated.
Wildlife Works said it was in the final stages of the disciplinary process and would say more once it had finished. On Friday, Verra said it had launched an investigation into the project.
The report, based on interviews by staff from the NGOs, who are trained in dealing with gender-based violence, includes allegations of a physical assault and attempted rape on company premises.
Senior men used their positions to demand sex in return for promotions and better treatment, the report alleges. The wives of male rangers were also pursued by one perpetrator, a senior member of staff, who allegedly told them that their husbands’ jobs depended on them having sex with him.
In a letter sent in August to Wildlife Works from Somo and the KHRC, the organizations alleged extensive sexual abuse at the project by multiple members of staff. They only named one alleged perpetrator but stated that the issue was extensive.
The allegations come amid widespread concerns about the environmental integrity of many forest protection offsets.