70 CultureShock! Bolivia
Other boys hop onto micros with the permission of
the driver to sell caramelos (sweets). They begin with a
memorised speech saying that, “this job helps me to be
productive and not get involved with drugs.”
Some of these children are being exploited by a parent
and are expected to hand over the money after each day.
Others are on their own. Food stands in public markets and
on street corners offer healthy lunches for as little as Bs 1.50,
so these children do not go hungry. However, the probability
of their eventually becoming ‘self-made men’ is virtually nil.
Those without parents or who are not sheltered in special
homes may spend nights sniffi ng glue with companions
from their subculture.
If the situation on city streets is grim, child workers in
mining regions such as Llallagua and Potosí have even less
of a chance for breaking out of the deterministic frame.
Care estimates that some 15,000 children are involved in
mining, most of them working with their families. This
author’s wife observed children outside the mines sorting
and clearing ore and her guide within the primitive mine was
an adolescent.
Most experts agree that the problems of child
labourers will not be solved in the absence of a profound
economic transformation which would allow the state to
fi nance comprehensive programmes for children. In the
meantime, NGOs partly fi ll the gap, and long-term visitors,
the type of people who read this book, are playing an
important role.Sexual Workers
Prostitutes, referred to offi cially as sexual workers, also
receive assistance from non-governmental organisations.
The control of sexually-transmitted diseases is facilitated
by the fact that, in Bolivia, the world’s oldest profession
is legal. In 1995, 1,716 sexual workers registered
with the Technical Juridical Police of La Paz. They are
required to purchase work permits every three months
and must follow government regulations for periodic
gynaecological examinations.