On 11 September 2012, 258 people died in a fire in the Ali Enterprises factory in Karachi, Pakistan. The German retail chain KiK, the factory’s main customer, failed to ensure that its supplier adhered to fire safety laws. On the 7th anniversary of the factory fire, the European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR) and 63 other civil society organizations are campaigning for a new law to require German companies to conduct human rights and environmental due diligence of their supply chains...

The factory fire survivor and three bereaved sued KiK in Germany supported by ECCHR and medico international, but the lawsuit was dismissed due to statutory limitations under Pakistani law. The due diligence initiative wants to ensure that those affected by German companies and their suppliers’ actions abroad can seek justice, including damages, in Germany...