Overview of Human Rights in Bolivia

Bolivia is a constitutional democracy. While there have been no major human rights abuses that have come to international attention in recent years, there are a few areas in which Bolivia still has problems. Civil unrest has led to some reported civil and human rights violations.  Such incidences included improper arrest, uses of excessive force and torture, as well as extrajudicial killings, by federal and state law enforcement agents. Improper prison standards have led to violence on behalf of both the inmates and the guards.  As well, there have been complaints of corruption and political manipulation of the judiciary. Abuse of children, massive child labor, brutal working conditions for those in the mining sector, as well as discrimination against indigenous people and those of color have been committed by the government and members of mainstream Bolivian society. That said, the government has worked hard to generally respect the freedoms of religion, speech, association, assembly, and travel of its citizens in recent years.

Human Development Index (HDI) Rank:

115th out of 177

Note: Human Development Index (HDI) is a composite index that measures the level of well-being of nations in the world. It uses factors such as poverty, literacy, life-expectancy, education, gross domestic product, and purchasing power parity to assess the average achievements in each nation. It has been used in the United Nation’s Human Development Report since 1993.