(By Nick Buxton) Having arrived recently in La Paz, one of my first jobs was to look for a flat. As I got shown around each flat, invariably I would be led out past the kitchen to a freezing part of the flat with a tiny room next to an even smaller toilet. This I was told was where I could house my “empleada,” a female household worker. The tiny rooms that would be barely suitable for a domestic pet let alone a person represent the ongoing reality for women household workers several years after the passing of a new law establishing their rights.   more »

(Bolpress) El ex Presidente Carlos Mesa aprobó el Decreto 27328, más conocido como Compro Boliviano, con el objetivo de estimular la industria nacional dando preferencias y exclusividad a los productores nacionales en las adquisiciones habituales del Estado que asciendan hasta ocho millones de bolivianos. Sin embargo, algunos burócratas del Ministerio de Hacienda intentaron perforar la norma en dos oportunidades, y ahora se aprestan a dar el golpe de gracia con un decreto que reduce ampliamente las preferencias para los productores locales.   more »

Bolivia has been threatened with the initiation of legal action by a series of multinational companies in the last month. All have said their actions are based on Bolivia breaching its commitments under Bilateral Investment Agreements or BITs. But what are BITs and why are they undermining people's rights to clean water, health and sovereignty over their own resources?   more »