Chile: Government Grants Visas to 64 Bolivian Trafficking Victims

On June 17, 2013 Opinión reported that the Chilean government earlier this month granted humanitarian visas to 64 Bolivians who were working illegally in Chile and who were victims of trafficking.

The victims were contacted in Cochabamba by subcontractor representative Paola Espinoza Limitada, who had promised them good job prospects but later entered them into the Chile without the necessary documents. The workers were taken to the town of Molina, 210 kilometers south of Santiago, where the company required them to mount high tension towers 50 meters high after training them for only two days. A few days later, two of the workers were killed and several others injured when one of the towers collapsed. The construction company had on its staff 104 Bolivianos, of which 65 were working illegally.

Currently, there are 25,151 Bolivians who have entered Chile in search of jobs and better living conditions. Read Article