The Documentary Film 'Diary from La Paz'

The UN estimates that 150 million street children around the world share the same fate. A shockingly high number, hiding 150 million different stories with one thing in common: they all started life in the most vulnerable imaginable way. Most of the world's street children not only lack a home but also all basic human rights. If these 150 million street children had their own country, it would be as populous as the entire population of Russia—or 25 times the population of Denmark.

Street children live an extremely harsh and vulnerable life in Bolivia's capital, La Paz. It is estimated that up to 800,000 children and youth either live or work on the streets in Bolivia, and the authorities’ offerings are both limited and inadequate to provide the safety they need. Children and youth living on the streets are marginalized from the rest of society, facing discrimination and exposure to violence and abuse. Many are substance abusers and suffer from chronic illnesses including HIV/AIDS, with girls particularly vulnerable to sexual abuse. Often, these children lack identity documents, which means they do not officially exist and thus cannot attend school or see a doctor.

In Diary from La Paz, statistics are set aside for a moment to reveal what it truly means to be a street child. Not just while the TV crew is visiting, but how it really is. We not only involve the children who are at the center of the story; we tell their story together with them. Diary from La Paz is a documentary film that maintains a level of intimacy with a group of homeless children and youth in Bolivia's high-altitude capital from start to finish. The film follows them in their harsh daily lives on their own terms. It is the children themselves who are filming.

Giving street children the camera has required a range of special ethical and safety considerations and precautions, which the three parties involved in the project—Alalay, International Børnesolidaritet (IBS), and producer Jonatan Jerichow—have agreed to ensure in the process:

• Safety (physical and psychological): Making a documentary with street children living in extreme poverty, who are vulnerable and live with violence, abuse, and illness, requires special considerations and risk mitigation. Alalay has accompanied the children during filming and continuously monitored their situation, both individually and collectively, addressing conflicts and safety risks.
• Age: The film's main subjects are more than 15 years old to increase the likelihood that they can give their free, prior, and informed consent to participate and understand the potential short- and long-term consequences of their involvement.
• Ethical Considerations: Being the focus of a documentary can mean that the child's story 'follows' them later in life, so the documentary must handle sensitive information about topics such as prostitution and HIV/AIDS with care. In addition, it includes ensuring the digital security of recordings and final products, and eliminating material that cannot or should not be shown.