Can giving chores to a foster child be forced labor?

Abstract

Like many biological parents, most foster parents are caring individuals looking to help children, all the while teaching them responsibility. However, in some less loving foster care households, there may be an “earn your keep” mentality rather than a mindset of instilling values. As demonstrated above, when it comes to determining forced labor, the law does not differentiate between a biological parent and one standing in loco parentis, nor does it draw a distinction between biological children and those in foster care. In New York, labor trafficking can be found with the presence of either physical force, coercion or fraud. Federally, the combination of both child abuse and forced labor must be present in order to charge a caregiver with a forced labor violation against a child in their care.