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Jose Luis came to Buenos Aires from his native Bolivia four years ago with hopes of a good job and a promising future. He decided to leave his family and everything he knew behind in search of a better life. After a three-day bus ride, he arrived in Buenos Aires and was confronted with the reality that his life in Argentina would not be all that he had been promised.

He was brought to a sweatshop where he was to live and work in the same room; a room that he also shared with several other people and their families. Work hours were from 8am to midnight, Monday through Saturday. In what amounts to forced labor, the monthly salary for the workers is roughly $35. The people running the factory told the workers that if they ventured out and were discovered by Argentines, they would be persecuted, robbed and potentially jailed so they tend to keep to themselves.

But after improving his situation little by little, Jose Luis now takes advantage of the opportunity to get to know the city as the other inhabitants of Buenos Aires know it. Sometimes on Sundays the immigrant workers go to the a local plaza to share stories and listen to Bolivian music. Thousands of Bolivian immigrants in Argentina live the life that Jose Luis once lived. Their stories coincide with the harsh treatment they were forced to endure and the fear that was instilled in them by those running the factories.

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About Al Jazeera - Witness

Rageh Omaar presents Witness, a half-hour daily documentary series which features short, specially commissioned or acquired films gathered from independent filmmakers.
 
Each documentary reveals the unknown lives of ordinary people, following their lives, telling their stories and portraying the challenges that confront them. Our witnesses are people in a situation or those who have observed them first hand.
 
The films cover conflict, belief, the past and the future and as well as bringing new stories to light they showcase the talents of a new breed of multi-skilled, frontline journalist. In the studio, Rageh will further explore the issues raised in the films, with expert guests on the subject matter and the filmmakers themselves.