Bolivia becomes first nation to legalise Child Labour.

Bolivia has become the first country to legalise child labour after a law was signed by Vice-President Alvaro Garcia Linera on July, 2014. The new legislation was first approved by Congress in early July, and the signature from Linera means the age that children can legally work is to lowered from 14 to 10.

Under the new legislation, children above the age of 10 will be allowed to become self-empowered workers as long as they have enrolled in the school and have the permission of their parents. Children over the age of 12 will be permitted to take on contract work, again with parental consent and compulsory school attendance.

The law to lower the age in which children can legally work, is all part of the Bolivian government's plan to help Bolivians living in poverty. Child labour is something that is engrained in Bolivian culture, with a large percentage of the adolescent population having to work. It is estimated that of the total of 1 million of Bolivia's children between the ages of five and 17 currently work, making up 15 per cent of the country's workforce. Even the President, Evo Morales, worked as a 14-year-old herding Llama in his hometown of Isallawi. He is a supporter of the bill and has been quoted in the past as saying that " eliminating work for boys and girls would be like eliminating people's social conscience".

The decision by the government has led to a number of anti-child labour groups condemning the decision, claiming that Bolivia's new legislation goes against international law.