Child and Youth who work and/or live on the street.
In Cochabamba the number of children that work and/or live in the streets is increasing and an alarming rate, to the point where it is considered a normal phenomenon in the Cochabambino society.

Working Youth
It is common in Bolivia, at least in the last few years, to find children and adolescents who work to maintain themselves and/or their families. the majority of these youth are exploited in their working environments, especially if they work for a monthly salary or set wages. For this reason, many youth work independently, selling wares, shining shoes, washing cars, as well as selling their artistic abilities by juggling at stoplights, playing music on public transport, etc.

Street Youth
It is common to walk the streets of Cochabamba and see many children and adolescents who have left their homes and have begun taking part in drug use and delinquency. The most common drug used by these youths is a substance that is inhaled, called clefa (glue used to repair shoes). It is a stimulant that is very addictive and produces violent behavior. Also common is pasta vase, an unrefined form of cocaine sold under the bridges where these youth live.

These youths live in large groups throughout the city. While some work, most dedicate their time to the consumption of such substances and the delinquency that helps them support their addiction. These problems have been on the rise in the last few years and have caused the population of the city to be very insecure.

Small children and adults alike suffer from drug addiction, some children as young as one year old are given these drugs by their parents who have become accustomed to using drugs in order to alleviate the feelings of hunger, cold, and depression.

Drugs and delinquency are an attempt to escape from reality, but they are destructive and lead to other problems. Female addicts run the risk of being sexually abused, or submitting to dangerous sexual relations in order to support their habits. This leads to young women becoming young mothers who produce more children who are forced into this life style, consuming these drugs practically from birth.

Their living conditions
The suburban zones of Cochabamba are a refuge to many low income families. These neighborhoods are generally deprived of basic necessities such as; electricity, potable water, sewage systems, health care, security, etc. Due to these conditions there are many health and social problems that are difficult, if not impossible, to solve for families struggling to eat on a daily basis.

What brings kids to the streets?
The primary reason youths feel obligated to go out onto the streets to work is economic, to help their families by bringing money into the household to sustain family and home. Many of these families consist of numerous people due to faulty family planning, lack of prevention education, and in some women’s cases, rape also plays a role.

Alcoholism is a common problem among parents, and more often than not leads to the disintegration of the family. The presence of violence and lack of support in the household often provoke the children to leave home either in an attempt to support their family or to escape abuse.

It takes an incredible amount of dedication and inner strength for a child to be able to overcome the odds set against them and better the lives of their families, if only a little. A child being able to do this on his or her own is rare. Often they will fall in with bad companions who introduce them to drugs and delinquency.

Dangers of the streets
Even in their homes children can be exposed to abuse, but it most commonly happens on the streets. Child laborers often work more than 12 hours a day and late into the night. The work these children find come with dangers of their own. Some of these are: exploitation, drugs, drug addicts (common in Cochabamba are glue-sniffers) and many types of abuse; sexual, physical, social, and psychological.

Jobs for child laborers (photo gallery)

Candy sellers (on buses, in restaurants, on the streets, etc.)

Window washers

Performers (juggling, acrobatics, music, etc.)

Flower sellers

Shoe shiners

Manual laborers (construction work, shoe repair, mechanic helpers, etc.)

Cemetery workers (watering plants, tombstone cleaning, praying for deceased, etc.)