Bolivia Prevents Human Trafficking and Smuggling

On Thursday, Deputy Minister of Consular Management Eva Chuquimia announced that President Luis Arce's administration has forged bilateral agreements with Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and Paraguay to combat human trafficking.

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"As part of our Bolivian foreign policy, we have prioritized the issue of illicit trafficking of migrant persons in this case," stated Chuquimia, who mentioned that approximately 500 Bolivians are entangled in trafficking situations.

She noted that the Arce administration has initiated a collaborative effort with Paraguay to prevent human trafficking and highlighted Bolivia's intention to form more agreements now that it is a full member of the Southern Common Market (MERCOSUR).

Chuquimia also mentioned that her country is collaborating with non-bordering nations like Spain to establish mechanisms preventing international human trafficking.

This year, Bolivia conducted 363,000 "consular actions," assisted nearly a million citizens, and executed over 600 repatriations to safeguard the rights of individuals in vulnerable situations.

Repatriations of Bolivians primarily occurred due to the Ukrainian conflict, forest fires in Turkey, and climate change-induced natural disasters in Argentina.

Currently, the countries with the largest number of Bolivians are Brazil (600,000), Spain (400,000), the United States (250,000), Chile (200,000), and Argentina (200,000).