Sunita Jain Anti-Trafficking Initiative

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Sunita Jain Anti-Trafficking Initiative

Advocacy, policy & survivor-led solutions to end human trafficking. Founded at Loyola Law School.

The Sunita Jain Anti-Trafficking Initiative (SJI), founded in 2021 at Loyola Law School, advances advocacy and policy to prevent human trafficking and support survivors. We amplify survivor voices, promote trauma-informed legal and policy solutions, and address immigrant rights and worker protection issues. Through research, education, and survivor-centered advocacy, SJI works to end human trafficking and advance justice and human rights.

08/19/2026

At the SJI, we have been working to raise awareness about labor trafficking by forced criminality, with a particular focus on youth, and improve how systems identify and respond to survivors.

Our work has included trainings, presentations, outreach, and advocacy focused on helping service providers and systems recognize when someone may be committing crimes because of trafficking, coercion, or exploitation.

Too often, survivors are treated only as offenders and may never be identified as trafficking victims.

We are working to change that by promoting better screening, trauma-informed responses, stronger referral pathways, and support instead of criminalization.

Learn more: www.lls.edu/sunitajain/youth-forced-criminality

08/17/2026

Ruth Marcus for the New Yorker highlights a devastating and dangerous multi-million-dollar contract between the Trump Administration and OUR Rescue, a nonprofit that neither specializes in immigration law nor in providing legal services. However, now OUR Rescue has been tasked with ensuring access to legal counsel for unaccompanied minor children detained at immigration facilities--one of the most uniquely vulnerable populations to human trafficking.

SJI Director Stephanie Richard provided comment for the article:

“When I heard that Our Rescue received this national-level grant to protect vulnerable unaccompanied children, as a trained immigration practitioner I cried...I just do not see how an agency whose background is in law enforcement and supporting law-enforcement sting operations is qualified to be the legal-service provider or provide the technical assistance for legal-service provision for unaccompanied children. It’s just a completely different skill set.”

Unaccompanied children entering the US need support and counsel from trauma-informed providers who can help them navigate the complex immigration system and avoid exploitation. SJI is committed to ensuring access to services for trafficking victims and preventing trafficking—the UAC legal service program is a first line defense in preventing trafficking. An unqualified provider will certainly mean more child maybe trafficked and/or quickly deported from the United States.

Read the full article at https://www.newyorker.com/news/the-lede/how-trump-is-trying-to-weaken-migrant-childrens-legal-defense

08/14/2026

Today is a sad day for SJI and Trafficking Survivors. Both SJI-sponsored bills quietly died in Senate Appropriations yesterday.

AB 1245 (Stefani) was first-of-its-kind state legislation to prevent trafficking in public procurement.

AB 2101 (Gipson) was first-of-its-kind state legislation to protect workers from trafficking in reconstruction and rebuilding efforts after natural disasters.

SJI thanks Assembly Members Stefani and Gipson for their support of these important protections, and we will continue the fight against labor trafficking and worker exploitation.

We also thank all the following members for prioritizing survivors and co-sponsoring these bills.
AB 2101-Assembly Members Connolly and Dixon
AB 1245-Assembly Members Ahrens, Gipson, Ortega, and Ward;
Senators Cortese and Wahab

08/13/2026

Unaccompanied children can face a higher risk of trafficking and exploitation. Isolation, instability, and limited access to trusted support can increase that vulnerability.

The Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008 (TVPRA) created special protections for children who arrive in the U.S. without a parent or guardian.

These protections recognize that children traveling alone can be especially vulnerable and may need added support to stay safe.

Specialized legal, social, and trauma-informed services can help reduce that risk and connect children to protection and support.

Recent reporting about a new federal grant for legal services to unaccompanied children has raised questions about the experience of the selected provider. This is an important reminder that who provides these services matters. Children with complex legal and safety needs should have access to professionals with the specialized experience needed to support them.

Read More: The Washington Post, “Ex-ICE agents’ group awarded $158 million to represent migrant children” (Aug. 11, 2026)

https://www.washingtonpost.com/immigration/2026/08/11/ex-ice-agents-group-awarded-158-million-represent-migrant-children/

08/07/2026

Next Thursday, August 13, the CA Senate Appropriations Committee will hold their suspense hearing--and AB 1245 (Stefani) will either advance to the Senate floor, or die.

AB 1245 is first-of-its-kind procurement legislation sponsored by SJI that will prevent human trafficking and child labor in California's supply chain. Specifically, this bill will:

*Create clear definitions for what constitutes human trafficking and forced labor, recruitment fees, and who qualifies as a contractor or subcontractor.

*Provide guidance to contractors, subcontractors, and companies on prohibited actions regarding contracts, and how to respond to trafficking issues in their supply chains.

*Require state government contractors to certify a compliance plan for themselves and all subcontractors for large contracts.

California can leverage its vast purchasing power to protect children and workers from exploitation, ensuring that future CA public contracts are supported by ethical business practices.

08/06/2026

A recent LAist report highlights that Olympic security plans could displace unhoused residents living near LA28 venues, yet there is still no clear plan for where people will go. The article also notes that LA28's Human Rights Strategy largely defers responsibility to local government rather than making concrete commitments of its own.

This is why SJI continues its work to ensure that LA28 adopts and funds a meaningful human rights plan. We know that displacement, housing instability, and economic vulnerability can increase the risk of human trafficking.

SJI is calling on LA28 to:
✅ Voluntarily fund services that support unhoused residents and prevent human trafficking.
✅ Commit to covering the costs of enhanced protections and services needed during the Games through a City agreement due in October 2027.
✅ Adopt a real human rights plan with measurable commitments, funding, transparency, and accountability.
The Olympic legacy should be one of human rights, not displacement. Read the full article here: https://bit.ly/4q0Gcxc

08/04/2026

SJI’s work is grounded in public health and anti-carceral approaches to human trafficking.

A public health approach looks beyond individual cases. It asks not only what happened to someone, but also what conditions made the harm possible.

Poverty, racism, immigration-related fears, housing instability, unsafe workplaces, ableism, and other forms of inequality can increase vulnerability to trafficking. These barriers can also make it harder to access help and justice.

That is why effective anti-trafficking work must include prevention, trusted community-based services, and long-term support. It must also center people who often face the greatest barriers, including people of color, immigrants, LGBTQI+ people, people with disabilities, and people experiencing poverty.

An anti-carceral approach recognizes that arrest, detention, and prosecution can cause additional harm, especially when survivors are criminalized for conduct connected to their exploitation.

For SJI, this means preventing harm before crisis, supporting people without punishment, addressing root causes, and investing in safer, stronger communities.

07/31/2026

Record-breaking heat waves across the US and Europe this summer have created dangerous climate conditions for countless communities. Wildfires, storms, flooding, and other natural disasters worsened by climate change not only destabilize essential systems--like housing, employment, and healthcare--but also displace individuals and communities. Traffickers are able to exploit this heightened vulnerability by recruiting victims for disaster recovery efforts, namely in construction, day labor, and domestic work.

At SJI, our goal is to embed anti-trafficking measures into recovery efforts, expand ethical labor standards, and increase public awareness of this issue to prevent exploitation in the wake of natural disasters. AB 2101 can help us realize this goal by expanding Civil Code § 52.6. The bill is currently in Senate appropriations. The bill is currently in Senate appropriations.

Read more about our Climate Justice policy priority and AB 2101 on our website: www.lls.edu/sunitajain/trafficking-in-disasters

07/30/2026

July 30 is World Day Against Trafficking in Persons. This year’s UN campaign is “Trapped Behind the Scam.”

Criminal groups recruit people with fake offers for jobs such as customer service, sales, or technology work. Once they begin working, they discover the job is not what they were promised. Instead, traffickers force them to commit online scams and use threats, violence, or other forms of control to stop them from leaving.

In 2023, scams connected to organized criminal groups in Asia and Southeast Asia caused an estimated $37 billion in losses in the United States.

People forced to commit these crimes should be recognized as trafficking victims and connected to safety, services, and legal support.

As online scams become more common, communities also need greater awareness, prevention, and resources.

Read more at www.endht.org

07/28/2026

In October 2025, Governor Newsom signed AB 1362 (Kalra) — first-of-its-kind legislation to prevent the trafficking of H-2A agricultural workers in California.

With implementation set for July 2027, the clock is ticking. This month SJI submitted detailed recommendations to the CA Labor Commissioner and the Department of Industrial Relations — the agencies charged with making AB 1362 a reality.

50,000 H-2A workers enter California every year. They deserve protections against human trafficking at the point of recuritment. Read our recommendations and share to show your support. Thanks to Assmeblymembers Kalra,SB 16 Connolly, Harabedian, Lee, McKinnor, Ortega, and Stefani and Senators Laid & Wahab for being Co-Authors of this bill.

Read SJI Recommendations for Implementation: www.lls.edu/sunitajain/ab-1362

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919 Albany Street
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Website

https://www.lls.edu/sunitajain/

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