Guardian

Thousands of children swept up in El Salvador mass arrests, rights body says

More than 60 children detained, beaten and tortured in El Salvador, rights group says

According to a Human Rights Watch report published Tuesday, over 60 children in El Salvador have been arbitrarily detained and abused in the two years since the government declared a state of emergency to combat criminal gangs.

Reuters

The report alleges that El Salvadorian police rounded up 3,319 children and teenagers between March 2022 and April 2024, when the emergency was introduced that suspended certain civil rights and allowed arrests without a warrant.

The rights group claims children were detained in "countless indiscriminate raids" that mostly targeted low-income neighborhoods and teenagers with low socioeconomic status and "no apparent connection to gangs' abusive activity."

Al Jazeera

Based on over 90 interviews, the report alleged prison authorities subjected children to severe ill-treatment, "including beatings and sexual assault," and deprived the minors of food, healthcare, and access to their families.

Pres. Nayib Bukele's administration has detained more than 80K alleged gangsters, which reportedly reduced its homicide rate and turned El Salvador from one of Latin America's deadliest countries to one of its safest.

South China Morning Post

In 2015, nearly 1% of the population were members of two criminal gangs, Barrio 18 and MS13, and the homicide rate was 103 per 100K people. Since the beginning of the emergency, the homicide rate has fallen to 2.4 per 100K.

Guardian #3291

NBC #2010

According to a Human Rights Watch report, published Tuesday, more than 60 children in El Salvador have been arbitrarily detained and abused in the two years since the government declared a state of emergency to combat criminal gangs.

Reuters #

The New York based human rights group, says that 3,319 children and teenagers were detained by El Salvadorian police and soldiers during the period between when the state of emergency began in March 2022 and April of this year, when mass trials started.

The report alleges that many of the minors detained by the government have "no apparent connection to gangs’ abusive activity" and were targeted due to their appearance or socioeconomic background. The youth were arrested in 'indiscriminate raids' that targeted low income neighborhoods throughout El Salvador.

Al Jazeera #2802

The report, which was compiled from more than 90 interviews, also described how "In detention, authorities subjected children to severe ill-treatment that in some cases amounted to torture" including beating the minors and depriving them of food, healthcare, and access to their families. Many of the youth were also allegedly coerced into making false confessions.

El Salvadorian President Nayib Bukele's administration has detained more than 80,000 accused gangsters over the last two years as part of a state of emergency that allows for arrests without a warrant. The controversial move has drawn criticism from human rights groups, but has made him the most popular political leader in Latin America.

South China Morning Post #

Life in the country has been dominated by the criminal activities of the gangs Barrio 18 and MS13 since the 1990s. In 2015, nearly one percent of the population were members of the gang and the homicide rate was 103 per 100,000 people. Since the start of the state of emergency, nearly one percent of the population has been incarcerated, and the homicide rate has fallen to 2.4 per 100,000.

Report: Children Abused in El Salvador's Prisons

Report: Children Abused in El Salvador’'s Prisons

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Report: Children Abused in El Salvador's Prisons

Report: Children Abused in El Salvador’'s Prisons

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