Potosí: Bolivian authorities intervene in mines to halt child labour
Roger Mariaca, the top representative of the Public Prosecutor's Office, ordered surprise inspections in the mines of the department following confirmation of the deaths of dozens of people, including minors.
Potosí: Bolivian authorities intervene in mines to halt child labour
The top representative of Bolivia's Public Prosecutor's Office, Roger Mariaca, announced surprise inspections in the mines of Potosí department. The measure responds to growing alarm over the use of minors in underground work, a situation that worsens when students are on holiday.
According to official figures compiled by the end of June 2026, a total of 78 individuals have died within the mining operations in that region. Among the fatalities are counted adolescents, infants and females, which demonstrates the severity of the conditions that prevail beneath the surface.
The joint strategy between prosecutors and uniformed officers has as its central focus finding and extracting young people who are illegally brought into the galleries. The objective is not limited to removing them from this dangerous environment, but also to dismantle the networks that employ them in tasks prohibited by current legislation.
During the presentation of the initiative, Mariaca raised an additional concern: in those same premises, sexual assaults against minors might be taking place. The official publicly posed the question of whether, in addition to labour exploitation, there might be abuse of another kind occurring inside the tunnels.
The intervention programme has the support of the specialised human rights unit of the prosecution body. The actions are not confined to mere sporadic inspections; the aim is to generate constant surveillance that will deter those who profit from child labour.
In the coming days, the Potosí departmental headquarters of the Public Prosecutor's Office must account for the initial results obtained. Local society hopes that these state actions will manage to drastically reduce the presence of minors in the mines and that those responsible for such exploitation will answer to justice.
_Source: La Patria_
Source: Google News BO — Crime