FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS OF OLDER ADULTS IN BOLIVIA: Legal Protection, Social Reality, and Current Challenges

Protecting the human rights of older adults is one of the greatest challenges facing contemporary states, especially in contexts where social and economic inequalities exacerbate conditions of vulnerability. In Bolivia, despite the existence of a comprehensive legal framework that recognizes specific rights for this segment of the population, reality shows that there are still significant gaps between the law and its effective implementation.Aging should not be understood as a stage of decline or exclusion, but rather as a phase of life that deserves respect, dignity, and comprehensive protection. Older adults are a source of experience, knowledge, and social contribution; therefore, recognizing them as full holders of rights is a legal and ethical obligation of the State and society.