500 M DEEP CERRO RICO MOUNTAIN BOLIVIA
[ Miner ] Uncle smokes with me here.
[ Miner ] Our regular Friday rite.
[ Miner ] We give him pure alcohol, he gives us pure minerals.
[ Miner ] Pure!
[ Miner ] The purest.
[ James ] Thank you.
[ JAMES BROWN, correspondent ] What do I have to do? Drink it or give it to the uncle?
[ Woman ] Should he pour some for Pachamama? [ Miner ] Yes.
[ Miner ] No, it's for Uncle. [ James ] Pour it for Uncle.
[ James ] For the Uncle. Ok, just pour out. [ Woman ] A little bit and you will drink.
[ James ] And I’ll drink the rest, ok.
[ James ] Thank you.
[ Miner ] One more? [ James ] Yes!
[ Miner ] More alcohol.
[ Miner ] You have to have two. [ James ] Thanks a lot.
[ James ] These are the coca leaves?
[ Woman ] Yes, and you have to use both hands to take them
[ James ] Thank you.
[ James ] Should I eat?
[ Miner ] We start early morning and leave late evening.
[ Miner ] Coca leaves give us strength, stave off hunger
and ward off sleep.
[ James ] I think this is the most unique thing that I’ve ever seen in my life. Really.
UNDERMINED
[ Wilfredo, 17, Miner ] The miners only have houses and cars...
thanks to him.
[ Wilfredo ] Underground, we find what he sends to us.
[ Wilfredo ] At least this is OK because
[ Wilfredo ] Uncle gives us a lot
and we give him only what we have.
[ VO ] Cerro Rico - the highest silver mines on the planet, active for almost 500 years.
Hacked into the rocks the deep shafts are
plagued by cave ins and accidents. In the thin,
dusty air, the miners work without eye protection,
breathing apparatus and they often work
drunk. It’s extremely dangerous, sometimes
fatal and frequently carried out by children.
[ VO ] Young children have worked in Bolivia for generations.
Almost 3 quarters of a million are doing so today. This
culture led to the development of Bolivia’s new, liberal
and highly controversial Children’s code in 2014, which
gave children as young as 10 the right to work under
certain circumstances. Critics in the West said Bolivia had
effectively legalized child labour. The government says the
laws protect the rights and health of their young workers.
LA PAZ BOLIVIA 10 p.m.
FROM THE BOLIVIAN LAW NO. 548: Children and adolescents
between the ages of 10 and 14 may not work past 10 p.m.
[ James ] So, are the new laws working? Has the situation got better since 2014?
[ Yuri ] We working to eliminate the child labour but step by step.
[ James ] So that was the 5-years plan, right? [ Yuri ] Yes!
[ James ] So by 2019 they want to say 'no mas' ('no more'), basically?
[ Yuri ] It's very difficult to say 'no mas' because it's only 5 years.
[ Yuri ] But, you know, it’s a huge… it’s a high… I don’t know how to say “meta”
[ James ] Like a level, I guess. [ Yuri ] Yes, yes, yes!
[ James ] Your aim high! Aim to the stars! [ Yuri ] Yes, it’s very…very high.
[ YURI CALISAYA, former Labour Ministry employee ] But
you know, in the last 10 years Bolivia make big things.
[ Yuri ] You can’t thinking in Bolivia with a
satellite in the space. We have one right now.
[ Yuri ] You can’t thinking in Bolivia with a… with all
kids in the school! We have this reality right now.
[ Yuri ] Hi!
[ Yuri ] What's that? [ Daniel ] Barley drink.
[ Yuri ] How much? [ Daniel ] One boliviano.
[ Yuri ] One boliviano? One please.
[ Yuri ] Two, give me two.
[ Yuri ] How old are you? [ DANIEL, 10, street vendor ] I'm 10.
[ Yuri ] Ten! Where are your parents? [ Daniel ] Right there.
[ Yuri ] Oh great.
[ Yuri ] If some guy with 13-14 years try to selling you this …Maybe you don’t get.
[ James ] No? It’s a bad idea? [ Yuri ] But if you see a child with
10 years in the cold, you buy! You know? Did you understand?
[ James ] Yeah, of course.
[ Yuri ] What I try to say Because you want …
because you think… it picks the feel that you want…
[ Yuri ] Because you are sad. Yes, of course! This is a strategy! A Straaaategy! Sorry.
[ James ] Exactly, yes, this is a strategy. So, you send the young little
kid out and he, of course, looks the part and then you make more money.
[ Yuri ] Of course. And the parents say: “Daniel can make more money,
because it’s child”.
[ James ] Yeah. This is a problem too.
[ Yuri ] What's your name? [ RODRIGO, 9, street vendor ] Rodrigo.
[ Yuri ] Rodrigo. How old are you?
[ Rodrigo ] Nine. [ Yuri ] Are you his big sister?
[ Melia ] Yes. [ Yuri ] How old are you?
[ Melia ] Him? [ Yuri ] You!
[ Melia ] 13 [ Yuri ] I see. What's your name? [ Melia ] Melia.
[ Yuri ] You sell together? Always jelly drinks? [ Yuri ] Do you go to school?
[ Yuri ] That's good! What year are you?
[ Melia ] First year of secondary school. [ Yuri ] And you?
[ Yuri ] Grade 5 primary school. Ok, stay in school. Don't drop out!
[ Yuri ] Now in Bolivia we see the problem with new
eyes. You know? We have a new law. It’s different.
[ Yuri ] This is La Paz, this is not Geneva. They make the laws, the
international laws in other places. But you need to see the reality here.
Beer Pub, 11 p.m.
[ Yuri ] How old are you? [ Lily ] Eleven.
[ Yuri ] 11, what's your name? [ Lily ] Lily.
[ Yuri ] Lily. How long have you been a vendor?
[ Lily ] Since I was six.
[ Yuri ] From the six years.
[ James ] Wow, already 5 years! And until what time does she work at night?
[ Yuri ] Do you work at night?
[ Lily ] I don't work nights. I only work from 6pm until midnight.
[ Yuri ] From the six o’clock to the twelve o’clock, mainly. [ James ] O’key.
[ James ] So, when you see that, how does that make you feel?
[ Yuri ] Of course, I feel sad. I feel like… I don’t
know the world, but in Spanish it is “impotencia”.
[ James ] Ah, yeah, impotence!
[ Yuri ] Impotence? [ James ] You want to help, but…
[ Yuri ] Of course, of course… All people want to help.
[ Eva ] You want sauce?
[ James ] Yes.
[ James ] Please.
[ James ] Thank you very much.
[ VO ] The reality in Bolivia is that the economy has improved in
the last decade but that around 60% of people still live below
the poverty line. They do what they have to survive. And for
many children it means juggling school with a full time job.
ARTICLE 129 OF BOLIVIA’S LAW
NO. 548 STATES: In exceptional cases, the Ombudsman's Offices
for Childhood and Adolescence may authorise self-employment
by children or adolescents between the ages of 10 and 14 and
regular employment for youths between 12 and 14 years old
[ Nadia ] I'm Nadia Melody Almanza Quenaya, I'm 10 years old.
[ Nadia ] My family is my mum, Eva, my dad, Rodrigo,
my brothers Eldair and Jefferson,
my grandma, Claudina,
and my uncles.
NADIA
[ Eva ] Do you have the hairpin?
[ VO ] Nadia lives in the suburbs of La Paz. Life
is a daily struggle for her parents who can’t make
ends meet on the little they earn. She’s been
contributing to the family budget for over two years.
[ NADIA, 10, market vendor ] I help my mum to sell things.
[ Nadia ] After school I have lunch, then come here to help Mum.
[ Nadia ] I help my mum to sell noodles and eggs.
[ Nadia ] My father has to get up very early in the morning.
[ Nadia ] He takes a bus to work.
[ Nadia ] Dad works a lot, Mum too.
[ Nadia ] I love them very much.
[ Nadia ] It's all ready, Mummy.
[ Eva ] Do up your fly!
[ Eva ] Her father helps, of course, but he drinks.
[ Eva ] He works for two weeks
and then drinks it all away.
[ Eva ] But I have to pay interest to the bank.
[ Eva ] So it's mostly me who provides for the children.
[ Eva ] All I can do...
is to work as a vendor,
to help my children
so they can study and live better than me.
[ Eva ] It's hard and painful for me
because I can't help them, as I didn't get an education myself.
[ Eva ] I didn't go to school because I worked day in and day out.
[ Eva ] Nadia helps me sell eggs.
[ Eva ] But she doesn't have any time left to do her homework... no time!
[ Eva ] The teacher says she's not making progress and should study more.
[ EVA, mother of 3 ] Nadia often says,
[ Eva ] 'I'm tired because I need to work as a market vendor and study at the same time,
and I have to help you.'
[ Eva ] If I had more money Nadia wouldn't have to work as a market vendor.
[ Eva ] But we don't have enough money, so she has to help me.
[ Nadia ] My classmates all work too.
[ Nadia ] Some of them help their mums sell sweets,
fruit, chocolate, drinks and so on.
[ Nadia ] I work and help my mum,
because I'll always help her,
until the end of her days...
[ VO ] Nadia has big dreams but those dreams require a good education.
[ James ] And what do you want to be when you grow up?
[ Nadia ] A lawyer.
[ James ] Why do you want to be a lawyer?
[ Nadia ] Many people are accused unfairly.
[ Nadia ] Some accuse others because they think they're stealing things.
[ Nadia ] That's why I want to defend people who've done nothing wrong
and prosecute those who have.
GUIDO
[ Guido ] I was working 3 hours a day
but recently it's only been two because of my training.
[ Guido ] I started working when I was 11.
[ Guido ] First, with my cousins,
then I worked more
with my brother
but he soon quit.
[ Guido ] My dad died 11 years ago.
[ Guido ] There are many of us in the family,
so Mum couldn't cope with it all on her own.
[ Guido ] I started working to help Mum
and to pay for my education.
[ VO ] Guido is one of 8 brothers and sisters being raised by a widowed mother. The
children’s code has meant he has been able to
find work as a cleaner in the local cemetery
[ Guido ] I don't know why I decided to work here.
[ Guido ] Probably because I wanted to be near Dad and tend his grave.
[ Guido ] I didn't want to work elsewhere because it was dangerous
and I was too young anyway.
[ Guido ] I'm responsible for this area.
[ Man ] Treat this one and the next. [ Guido ] OK, got it!
[ Man ] Good. See you.
[ Guido ] I use shoe polish on my hands
because cleaning with battery fluid is hazardous.
[ Guido ] You could burn your hands and clothes.
[ Guido ] The polish works as good hand protection
and it helps prevent burns.
[ Guido ] I have some sores here.
[ James ] Can we see?
[ James ] Yeah, also here. And other side?
[ Guido ] I think the chemicals in the polish do this to my nails.
[ Guido ] When I use this stuff a lot
my nails start breaking and then fall off.
[ Guido ] My work doesn't leave me much time to study.
[ Guido ] When I have a lot of homework,
[ Guido ] I don't have enough time for that or work.
[ Guido ] Sometimes I do homework late at night until I finish it all.
[ Guido ] When I have lots to do,
[ Guido ] I don't do it at all.
[ Guido ] In the future, I'd like to study medicine,
or maybe become a detective.
[ Guido ] I'd love to study more but unfortunately work gets in the way.
[ Guido ] But regardless of that,
[ Guido ] I'm ready to study and work at the same time to help my mum.
[ Man ] Your abs! Work your abs!
[ Man ] Work your abs!
[ Guido ] When I feel low and I'm sleepy, I rest.
[ Guido ] I'm still a child after all.
[ Guido ] Usually, I don't get tired,
so I manage to study and help my mum.
[ VO ] For Guido and Nadia, the Сhildren’s Сode has meant they can legally
earn the extra money they badly need. She can help her mother in the market
and his job at the cemetery wouldn’t exist without it. But there are hundreds
of thousands of children in Bolivia operating completely outside the law.
[ James ] It’s really like something out of a movie. I get the feeling like I’m in
a some sort of Wild West goldmine. These old wooden poles holding everything up.
[ James ] Oh wow, I’m not built for spaces like this, definitely not!
[ James ] Is it ok?
[ Miner ] Step here.
ARTICLE 126 OF BOLIVIA’S LAW NO. 548 STATES: Children and adolescents have
the right to be protected by the state, by their families and by society,
especially against any occupation or work that
might hinder their education, present a danger,
pose hazards to their health or be detrimental
to their dignity and integral development.
[ Wilfredo ] My first impression was that I couldn't breathe.
[ Wilfredo ] I didn't expect that and got a bit frightened.
[ Wilfredo ] You need to be careful.
[ Wilfredo ] All the work is manual.
[ Wilfredo ] You need to know how to use the tools,
how to handle them properly.
[ Wilfredo ] You need to be strong.
[ VO ] Wilfredo and his brother have been working in these mines since
they were 10 years old. If they stay here, it’s unlikely they’ll see 40.
[ James ] Mining work’s hard enough normally but here with the lack of oxygen and
just hand tools I have no idea how these kids do it. None at all. Day in day out…
[ James ] Sorry Willy…
[ VO ] Everything Wilfredo and Richard are doing here is completely illegal.
Mining work is strictly forbidden by the children’s code but it’s never enforced.
[ Miner ] Easy does it! Slowly!
[ James ] You have to be thin
[ James ] You are acrobat
[ James ] That’s insane. Oh that’s mad.
[ Miner ] All ok? [ James ] Yes, it's fine.
[ James ] Let’s go out.
[ Lucia ] When they go to the mine,
[ Lucia ] I often cry because it's dangerous.
[ LUCIA, mother of 6 ] But where else can we earn money?
[ Lucia ] That's why my kids have to be miners.
[ Lucia ] I don't want them to work there.
[ Lucia ] If I had money, I'd move to the city,
so my kids wouldn't have to work in that dangerous mine.
[ VO ] The Children’s code should protect Wilfredo and
his brothers but up here it seems it doesn’t apply.
CERRO RICO MOUNTAIN BOLIVIA 4500 M ABOVE SEA LEVEL
[ VO ] Don Nico is a former child miner and activist
who tries to look after the families on Cerro Rico.
[ Nicolas Marin, Ngo Voix Libres ] Of course, there are laws but nobody abides by them.
[ Don Nico ] They say they know about the mountain people's problems.
3 or 4 months ago, people from the Labour Ministry came.
[ Don Nico ] They said they would do this and that, but it's all idle talk.
[ Don Nico ] They sit in their offices instead of coming here
to see how many kids are working and how their families live.
[ Don Nico ] The former regional ombudsman promised to earmark extra money
for raising salaries and social guarantees,
it was all just talk.
[ Don Nico ] All these promises were broken.
[ Don Nico ] We live the same way we lived before:
man against man, child against child.
[ Don Nico ] We have our own, separate world here.
[ Don Nico ] Robbery and violence continues.
[ Don Nico ] So many bad things happen to the locals.
[ Lucia ] If you meet a robber and you're alone, he may kill you.
[ Lucia ] Sometimes I go out alone but more often with Raul and Jose.
[ Lucia ] A robber could mug or even kill me.
[ Lucia ] I have 4 sons and a daughter Claudia here,
we all live together.
[ Lucia ] When robbers come, they stay away from my house
because I have vicious dogs.
[ VO ] Lucia is responsible for the safety of equipment here. She
simply can’t afford for thieves to get anywhere near it and that’s
why she always has a supply of dynamite nearby. It’s a very
effective way of warning them off. Or worse, if they get too close.
[ Lucia ] This will explode!
[ Lucia ] Boom! Over there... I'll go and plant it there.
[ VO ] If any equipment is stolen Lucia has to pay for
it. She doesn’t mess around when it comes to thieves.
[ Lucia ] Let's go! Go!
[ James ] Go, Go, Go.
[ James ] Run, run, run!
[ Lucia ] Wow!
[ Lucia ] Look, I blew it up!
[ Don Nico ] At times it's very hard to work here.
[ Don Nico ] Accidents are always happening here.
[ Don Nico ] People die.
[ Don Nico ] It's just horrible in these mountains for kids.
[ James ] Kids too? [ Don Nico ] Dust from tipper trucks affects children.
[ Don Nico ] They breathe it in of course
because they live here.
[ Don Nico ] The miners get ill because of the dust,
malnutrition and everything else.
[ Don Nico ] They have nothing here.
[ Don Nico ] The air and everything is very dirty.
[ Don Nico ] I know these mountains well.
[ Don Nico ] I've worked here for many years.
[ Don Nico ] I'm ok now but I've been through great pain.
[ Don Nico ] It's painful for me to leave these families, these children...
[ Don Nico ] Sometimes it's distressing because I used to live as they do.
[ Don Nico ] I always think of them. I'm with them.
[ Don Nico ] I'll continue my work despite the pain I feel.
[ Don Nico ] I'll work for the sake of these children, these families...
[ Don Nico ] It's my life's work to give them what I can.
[ Don Nico ] I'm always thinking of them
because I don't want them to suffer.
[ Don Nico ] We want to help them all...
[ Don Nico ] For the wellbeing of all.
[ Don Nico ] I went through all this myself.
[ Don Nico ] I can't anymore.
[ James ] It’s Okey, it’s Okey. It’s Okey.
[ James ] You speak very well. It’s Okey
[ James ] Thank you very much.
[ VO ] Sources in the Bolivian government insist the children’s code
is working, that overall numbers of workers are down and that illegal
child labourers have almost halved since 2008. They say that tackling
dangerous work is now a top policy priority. But they haven’t offered
the people of Cerro RICO an alternative. And that means the schoolboy
miners here continue risking their lives for the money they need to
survive. They still believe they’ll get more help from Tio Jorge, the
thirsty devil of the pits, than they will do from their own lawmakers.