The Olympic Games have long symbolized global unity, athletic excellence, and national pride. However, beneath the excitement and celebrations, these massive gatherings frequently expose serious issues related to human exploitation. From the influx of temporary workers needed for massive building projects to the increased demand for prostitution, the human cost of hosting the Olympics has drawn increasing attention. Two forms of trafficking, forced labor and sex trafficking, become areas of concern as host cities prepare for the games (Human Rights Watch, 2013; Cetri, 2008; Murad, 2024; Hurtes, 2024). Thousands of behind-the-scenes workers and vulnerable people endure conditions that can amount to forced labor and sex trafficking. Finally, the way in which modern traffickers use online media to recruit and lure potential victims will be addressed.
Forced physical labor is a recurring and frequently overlooked issue, especially during the build-up phase of the Olympics when massive infrastructure projects call for thousands of workers, many of whom are migrants or undocumented laborers at risk of exploitation. In host cities like Paris, Beijing, Sochi, and Rio, workers have experienced low wages, unsafe working conditions, wage theft, a lack of contracts, and even forced evictions, according to numerous investigations and reports. Migrant and undocumented workers are often overworked and underpaid during Olympic construction as seen in Sochi (2014), Beijing (2008, 2022), and Paris (2024) (Human Rights Watch, 2013) (Human Rights Watch, 2008). For example, reports of businesses employing undocumented workers who put in excessive hours without pay or contracts out of fear of being exposed to the authorities or losing their jobs have been made public by investigative journalism and interviews regarding Paris 2024 (News Wires, 2023; Bosco Lai, 2024).
To avoid legal scrutiny, employers paid workers illegally or manipulated records, while injured workers received little to no compensation (Hurtes, 2024; Bosco Lai, 2024). Data manipulation helps maintain a positive public image but does not reflect the true scale of human harm. Official reports from many host countries often claim few worksite injuries and no fatalities, yet investigations show that often accidents and deaths among workers are systematically excluded from Olympic statistics, especially when related to secondary infrastructure such as public transit and temporary housing (Hurtes, 2024; Human Rights Watch, 2013).
In addition to forced physical labor, there are also concerns regarding the Olympics that center on sex trafficking. The massive influx of tourists attending events like the Olympics can cause an increase in activities such as forced prostitution and human smuggling. The influx of tourists gives rise to traffickers recruiting and bringing in new victims according to Contre La Traite an organization that fights against human trafficking (Raising awareness on the Sidelines of Major Sporting Events n.d.). There are instances of survivor’s stories like “Christina’s”, who Contre La Traite has promoted as a cautionary tale. Christina was contacted online by a recruiter for a “modeling agency” where she was lured to Paris with a promise of a job that turned into forced sexual exploitation. (Christina Forced into Selling her Body, n.d). While these issues and the individuals affected are important and identifiable, the victim count has often been exaggerated by media outlets and advocacy organizations, and increasingly so with the rise of social media. For example, the LA Times analyzed news coverage and documented how outlets repeatedly circulated the claim that large sporting events like the Olympics produce tens of thousands of sex trafficking victims (Cronin 2010). These claims can be found repeated in other news sources like a 2010 RELEVENT article where they claimed that 8,000 women were to become victims of the sex industry system that year, which is exacerbated by the arrival or the Olympics in the country.
However, these figures have been disputed by the Global Alliance Against Traffic in Women (GAATW, 2013). They found that there was “no specific knowledge of or that there was no concrete and verifiable evidence of trafficking in persons for the purposes of sexual or labor exploitation linked to the 2010 Olympic Games.” Their report for Public Safety Canada highlights that, despite the widespread concern, there is no credible data confirming this figure or similar claims at any major sporting event. Furthermore, a review done by researchers at Queen Margaret University in 2012 found little support for claims of large-scale increases in sex trafficking during sporting events like the Olympics (Mathesom and Finkel, 2012). In addition to these earlier sources, the GAATW in 2024 stated that research by “NGOs, academics, international organizations, and the media hasn’t found any significant increase in victims of trafficking or even demand for sex work that was connected to large sporting events” such as the Olympics. The evidence shows that sensational numbers repeated in the media are rarely rooted in research or outcomes from the games. These discrepancies have led experts to call for greater caution when discussing the magnitude of these issues.
Trafficking of all kinds often begins in the very spaces people consider safe, such as social media platforms, online gaming communities, and messaging apps. Once there, traffickers groom victims through trust-building, manipulation, and digital deception like in the case of Christina. Recognizing that these common online tools can be used to recruit potential victims is the first line of defense for both communities and individuals preparing for the Olympics. Recognizing online red flags, understanding how traffickers use digital networks, and knowing how to access resources and services are all positive steps toward prevention. This should be an opportunity to teach families how to spot red flags in online interactions, verify work opportunities for legitimacy, and report on suspicious behavior. This can be done by keeping privacy settings secure, discussing online boundaries with children, and using verified support networks and hotlines. Protecting our communities from labor and sex trafficking requires both being informed, and actionable strategies which begin with understanding not just what we fear, but what the evidence tells us.
References
Bosco Lai. (2024). The Paris Olympics: A celebration for some, a burden for others. Harvard Political Review. https://theharvardpoliticalreview.com/paris-2024-olympics-migrant-labor-abuses/
Cetri. (2008). Exploitation of migrant construction workers in Beijing. https://www.cetri.be/Exploitation-of-Migrant?lang=en
Christina: Forced into selling her body (n.d.). … Victims’ illustrated stories [PDF]. Retrieved December 4, 2025, from https://www.contrelatraite.org/sites/default/files/inline-files/christina_planches_gb.pdf
Raising awareness on the sidelines of major sporting events (n.d.) Comité contre l’esclavage moderne. https://www.contrelatraite.org/raising-awareness-on-the-sidelines-of-major-sporting-events
Cronin, Brian. (2010). The Los Angeles Times. Sports legend revealed: 40,000 prostitutes enter the country hosting the World Cup. https://www.latimes.com/archives/blogs/sports-now/story/2010-06-16/sports-legend-revealed-40-000-prostitutes-enter-the-country-hosting-the-world-cup/
Global Alliance Against Traffic in Women Canada. (2013). 2010 Winter Games analysis on human trafficking (Prepared for Law Enforcement and Policing Branch, Public Safety Canada). Public Safety Canada. https://www.publicsafety.gc.ca/cnt/rsrcs/pblctns/wntr-gms-2010/wntr-gms-2010-eng.pdf#page=68.33
Global Alliance Against Traffic in Women Canada. (2024). Trafficking myths & mega-sporting events. Global Alliance Against Traffic in Women. https://gaatw.ca/item/trafficking-myths-mega-sporting-events/
Human Rights Watch. (2013). Russia: Migrant Olympic workers cheated, exploited. https://www.hrw.org/news/2013/02/06/russia-migrant-olympic-workers-cheated-exploited
Human Rights Watch. (2008). China: Beijing’s Migrant Construction Workers Abused. https://www.hrw.org/news/2008/03/12/china-beijings-migrant-construction-workers-abused
Hurtes, S. (2024). France says it built the Olympics safely. Migrant workers don’t count. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/08/world/europe/olympics-france-migrant-labor.html?searchResultPosition=1
Matheson, Catherine Finkel, Rebecca (2012) Sex Trafficking and the Vancouver Winter Olympic Games: Perceptions and preventative measures. Sex trafficking and the Vancouver Winter Olympic Games: Perceptions and preventative measures - ScienceDirect
Murad, H. (2024). Paris is relying on exploitation of migrant workers to prepare for the Olympics. https://worldcrunch.com/focus/migrant-lives/france-olympics-migrants-exploitation/
News Wires. (2023). Undocumented workers speak out over ‘exploitation’ at Paris Olympics venues. https://www.france24.com/en/france/20230120-undocumented-workers-speak-out-over-exploitation-at-paris-olympics-venues
RELEVANT Magazine. (2010). The Olympics' dirty little secret. https://relevantmagazine.com/current/olympics-dirty-little-secret/
Bios
Mr. Gabriel Valencia is a student at Methodist University majoring in Criminal Justice and Forensic Science.
Ms. Jehobia Jujin Premakumar is a student at Methodist University majoring in Computer Information Technology Cyber Security
Dr. Eric See is the Division Head for Criminal Justice and Military Science and a Professor at Methodist University. He received a Ph.D. in Criminology from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. His previous research has focused on firearms, opioids, police use of force, methamphetamine, and the
