Symposium on civil liability for business-related human rights abuses

Past decades saw an emerging trend towards reliance on civil liability claims to address business-related human rights abuses (e.g., Lungowe v Vedanta and Okpabi v Shell in the UK; Choc v Hudbay Minerals and Araya v Nevsun in Canada; Akpan v Shell in the Netherlands; Jabir and others v KiK Textilien in Germany). The International Commission of Jurists and the Bonavero Institute of Human Rights are hosting an online symposium to discuss the wider implications of recent jurisprudence and identify the remaining gaps in the law. The discussions will focus on a range of issues, including 1) the contours of rules on the duty of care; 2) prospects for supply chain liability under the law of civil remedies; 3) parent company liability and complicity under civil law; 4) prospects of access to justice.

The symposium features two panel discussions on Zoom on 7 June 2021 and 14 June 2021. These virtual events are open to practitioners, policymakers, civil society, academics, and students. Please follow the links below to register separately for each panel. The symposium will also involve a series of blogs by experts in the field to be published by Opinio Juris starting 21 June 2021.

Panel 1 ‘Duty of care and parent company liability’

Day and time: 7 June 2021 at 14.00 – 16.00 BST

• Richard Meeran (Leigh Day)
• Dr Channa Samkalden (Prakken d’Oliveira)
• Professor Martin Petrin (Western University and University College London)
• Dr Eghosa Ekhator (University of Derby)
• Sophie Kemp (Kingsley Napley)
• Dr Anil Yilmaz Vastardis (University of Essex)

Panel 1 took place on 7 June, and can be viewed online here: 

An audio recording of this event is available to listen to on Soundcloud

Panel 2 ‘Access to justice and civil claims for business-related human rights abuses: Challenges and opportunities’

Day and time: 14 June 2021 at 14.00 – 16.00 BST

• Professor Anita Ramasastry (University of Washington)
• Professor Penelope Simons (University of Ottawa)
• Professor Humberto Cantú Rivera (University of Monterrey)
• Professor Bonita Meyersfeld (University of the Witwatersrand)
• Edward Craven (Matrix Chambers)

An audio recording of this event is available to listen to on Soundcloud

This symposium is co-convened by Dr Carlos Lopez and Dr Ekaterina Aristova. Please get in touch with the organisers if you have any questions. The symposium is part of the project on civil liability for human rights violations led by the Bonavero Institute and funded by the Oak Foundation.