A country of statistical extremes, landlocked Bolivia is the highest and most isolated country in South America. It has the largest proportion of indigenous people, who make up around two-thirds of the population.

• There are over 2,500 children living on the streets of major cities such as Cochabamba, La Paz and Santa Cruz.
• UNICEF estimates that 800,000 children work in Bolivia.
• 75% of street children are 12 years old, 25% aged three to 11.
• UNICEF also states 60% of street children left home due to physical violence.
• 20% left home because there wasn't enough to eat and 20% were abandoned by their parents.
• 80% of these children inhale "clefa" [glue] and some adolescents are alcoholics.
• More than 100 post-pubescent young women live in the streets of Cochabamba without any sex education or advice.
• More than 40 babies live on the streets of Cochabamba.
• Most street children are functionally illiterate because they left school. They can read and write with difficulty.
• 90% use solvents as a form of escapism.

Issues facing Bolivian street children:

Urbanisation – rural communities, coca growers in particular, are losing their livelihoods and so moving into the cities in the hope of making a living. The cities are unable to support the rapidly growing population, and so poverty persists.

Violence in the family is a serious problem in Bolivia. UNICEF estimates that 60% of street children in Bolivia have left home because of physical violence. Domestic violence is widespread and often unreported – and when it is reported, results in only a few days in jail and a small fine.

Large families mean that parents are often unable to look after all their children – UNICEF estimates that 20% of street children have left home because there was not enough to eat, and that 20% of street children have been abandoned by their parents.

Child labour has a long history in Bolivia due to poverty – estimates suggest that there are around 800,000 children under 18 working on the streets (UNICEF). Approximately 30% of working children and adolescents live in urban areas. Working on the streets, children often begin to spend more and more time there, until they eventually stop going home altogether.

Bolivia - Facts and Figures

• Population: 9.1 million (UN 2005)
• Population living below the poverty line: 66%
• Population living on less than $1 per day: 30%
• Official language: Spanish
• Other languages: Quechua, Aymara, Guarani
• Life expectancy: 63 years (men), 68 years (women) (UN)
• Monetary unit: 1 boliviano = 100 centavos
• Main exports: Soyabeans, natural gas, zinc, gold, silver, lead, tin, antimony, wood, sugar
• External debt: $5.916 billion (CIA 2006)
• Environmental issues: One which affects the Bolivian people greatly is the El Nino phenomenon which is associated with heavy rains and flooding in Bolivia, and February 2007 saw the worst floods to hit Bolivia for 25 years, affecting over 350,000 people.

Read more:

Why there are street children
Street children facts
Street children in Guatemala
Street chidlren in Peru