To use another person's work effort for your own benefit is exploitation and exploitation is a form of abuse. The family does not have permission to let Bella work other types of jobs than to look after the children. 

A person has the right to live without threat. To use a person's fear and insecurities in a new country with threats is a way to control the person and is a well-known method for human traffickers. It can be difficult to spot the signs because they're often quite hidden. Here you can read more about human trafficking symptoms. 

If you are unsure if your story is an example of exploitation, start the web chat and find out.

When someone forces another person to do things that are not part of their job, it is called domestic servitude and is one of the human trafficking manifestations. 

At the Icelandic Human Rights Centre, immigrants can get free legal counsel.

Bella, a young girl from South America, comes to Iceland to work as an au-pair in an Icelandic home. Bella enjoys ...

nauðungarþjónusta, au pair, húshjálp, vinna, mansal

Bella enjoys taking care of the children but doesn't have the courage to say no when she is also made working as a servant, inside the home, and for friends of the family. She only gets half of the pocket money she is supposed to get according to the au-pair contract. When Bella finds the courage to speak up about it, the family threatens to terminate her contract and have her sent back home if she makes a big deal out of this. 

Bella

Is this abuse?