PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 9, 2026

Advocates: LA28 Human Rights Plan “Pays Lip Service” to Human Rights While Shifting Burden of Anti Trafficking Work onto Community 

Los Angeles, CA — Anti-trafficking and human rights advocates are raising alarms after reviewing the newly released LA28 Human Rights Strategy, calling it “a document that gestures at human rights while investing nothing in the people most at risk.” Despite repeated claims that the plan was shaped by expert and community input, advocates say the strategy summarizes existing federal and state protections, relies almost entirely on law enforcement, and commits zero new dollars to prevention, victim support or independent evaluation of its efforts.

The plan’s section on human trafficking acknowledges that “trafficking for forced labor is more likely than trafficking for sex workers in the context of mega events” and that addressing these risks “requires broad cooperation… including social service providers, advocacy groups, community organizations, [and] informed bystanders.” Yet the strategy offers no new funding, no new programs, and no new infrastructure to support those very partners. Instead, it reiterates existing federal programs, state laws, and local task forces—none of which were created for or resourced to meet the scale of a National Special Security Event.

“Despite clear expert guidance that a public‑health framework is essential to preventing human trafficking at major sporting events, this plan relies almost entirely on law enforcement. Not a single new dollar is committed to support victims or equip local agencies with the training and outreach they need. This plan fails the very people it claims to protect and shows, yet again, what a billion‑dollar industry is willing to do when profit is placed above people.” — Stephanie Richard, Director, Sunita Jain Anti‑Trafficking Initiative at Loyola Law School

A Plan That Repackages Existing Systems Instead of Building New Protections

The LA28 strategy repeatedly highlights federal and state programs—such as DHS’s Victim Assistance Program, DOJ’s Office for Victims of Crime, and California’s existing labor and trafficking laws—but does not propose a single new investment to expand capacity for the 2028 Games. Nowhere does the plan allocate additional resources necessary for LA’s local government and community organizations, expected to respond to increased human rights abuses documented at prior Olympics events.

The strategy explicitly notes that local NGOs already provide transportation, shelters, crisis response, case management, legal assistance, and multilingual hotlines, yet LA28 offers no financial support to expand these services despite anticipating increased risk during the Games. Instead, the plan highlights the visibility of law enforcement and the expansion of federal coordination under the National Special Security Event designation, which experts during consultation were clear will receive 100s of millions of dollars and  only exacerbate the human rights risks and fears especially among immigrant populations before and during the games.

Experts Warn: A Law‑Enforcement‑Only Approach Will Fail

Advocates emphasize that a public‑health approach—one that centers prevention, worker protections, housing stability, and community‑based outreach—is the internationally recognized standard for preventing trafficking around mega‑events. Yet the LA28 plan frames law enforcement as the primary mitigation tool, noting that “law enforcement personnel will be visible at event venues, transportation hubs, and popular gathering places.”

This approach, advocates say, ignores evidence, increases fear among immigrant communities, and fails to address the labor‑trafficking risks LA28 itself acknowledges.

A Missed Opportunity for Global Leadership

The IOC now requires all future Olympic hosts to produce human rights strategies. Advocates argue that Los Angeles—home to some of the strongest anti-trafficking, worker and immigrant rights and organizations in the country—could have set a global standard. Instead, the plan “reads like a compliance document, not a commitment,” offering no new investments in

• labor‑trafficking prevention
• Specialized outreach materials/training for frontline workers
• Worker outreach
• Survivor services
• Audits of contracts
• Protections for unhoused or immigrant communities
• Evaluation of human rights strategy and investments for future improvement

Advocates Call for Immediate Revision and Real Investment

Loyola Law School Sunita Jain Anti-Trafficking Initiative and Coalition partners are urging LA28 and the City of Los Angeles to release a revised plan that includes at least some of the recommendations in the report Preventing and Responding to Human Trafficking Related to Major Sporting Events in Los Angeles, released in December of 2025 including:

• Dedicated funding  at the level of 3.1 million as outlined in our report's recommendations
• A public‑health framework that addresses root causes and labor exploitation prior and during the Olympics
• A human rights plan  that confronts the truth that the Olympics’ intensified security operations heighten community vulnerability—especially for immigrants—and must provide real resources to keep people safe
• Resourced independent evaluation, transparency, and accountability mechanisms

“Its not too late, with over two years prior Los Angeles has the expertise, the partners, and the evidence to do this right,” Richard said. “What we need now is the political will—and the investment—to protect the people most vulnerable to exploitation during the Games.”

Further, Richard said,  “the Olympics are supposed to be privately financed, and the City’s contract agreement with LA28 states that organizers—not Los Angeles—must pay for the extra public‑service costs tied to the Games. With a major services agreement due in October 2025 still pending and the services venue agreement set to be negotiated in 2026, the City has a critical opportunity to require that human rights protections receive the same attention and funding as negotiations on traffic management and policing. The question now is whether essential human rights protections and funding will finally be given a place at the negotiating table.” 

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