NRS200.4631. Involuntary servitude of minors; penalties.  


Latest version.
  •       1.  A person who has physical custody of a minor, allows a minor to reside in his or her residence, is in a position of authority over a minor or provides care for any length of time to a minor and who knowingly:

          (a) Obtains labor or services from the minor by causing or threatening to cause serious harm to the minor or by engaging in a pattern of conduct that results in physical injury to the minor, sexual abuse of the minor or sexual assault of the minor pursuant to NRS 200.366; or

          (b) Benefits, financially or by receiving anything of value other than sexual gratification from the labor or services obtained by the conduct specified in paragraph (a),

    Ê is guilty of holding a minor in involuntary servitude.

          2.  A person who is found guilty of holding a minor in involuntary servitude is guilty of a category A felony and shall be punished by imprisonment in the state prison for life with the possibility of parole, with eligibility for parole beginning when a minimum of 15 years has been served, and may be further punished by a fine of at least $50,000.

          3.  Consent of the victim to the performance of any labor or services is not a valid defense to a prosecution conducted pursuant to this section.

          4.  Nothing in this section shall be construed to prohibit a parent or guardian of a child from requiring his or her child to perform common household chores under the threat of the reasonable exercise of discipline by the parent or guardian of the child.

          5.  For the purposes of this section:

          (a) “Physical injury” includes, without limitation:

                 (1) A sprain or dislocation;

                 (2) Damage to cartilage;

                 (3) A fracture of a bone or the skull;

                (4) An injury causing an intracranial hemorrhage or injury to another internal organ;

                 (5) Permanent or temporary disfigurement, including, without limitation, a burn, scalding, cut, laceration, puncture or bite; or

                 (6) Permanent or temporary loss or impairment of a part or organ of the body.

          (b) “Serious harm” means any harm, whether physical or nonphysical, including, without limitation, psychological, financial or reputational harm, that is sufficiently serious, under the circumstances, to compel a reasonable person of the same background and in the same circumstances as the victim to perform or to continue to provide labor or services to avoid incurring that harm.

          (c) “Sexual abuse” includes acts upon a child constituting:

                 (1) Lewdness with a child pursuant to NRS 201.230;

                 (2) Sado-masochistic abuse pursuant to NRS 201.262;

                 (3) Sexual assault pursuant to NRS 200.366;

                 (4) Open or gross lewdness pursuant to NRS 201.210; and

                 (5) Mutilation of the genitalia of a female child, aiding, abetting, encouraging or participating in the mutilation of the genitalia of a female child, or removal of a female child from this State for the purpose of mutilating the genitalia of the child pursuant to NRS 200.5083.

      (Added to NRS by 2013, 1852)