Human Rights Watch (HRW) published a report Tuesday claiming that children’s rights in El Salvador have been violated since the country declared its state of emergency in 2022. The report reveals that children in low-income communities have been arbitrarily detained, tortured, and faced severe mistreatment as a result of the country’s “war on gangs.”

The report, “Your Child Does Not Exist Here,” details that since the state of emergency roughly 3,000 children were arbitrarily detained in what witnesses call “indiscriminate sweeps.” Over 90 people were interviewed by HRW and described coercion at the hands of police, among other human rights violations. The interviewees say that police forces would detain them for questioning for up to 7 days at a time, often keeping them with adults.

HRW says detained children were then faced with “overcrowding, lack of adequate food and health care, and […] denied access to their lawyers and family members.” Children have also been subjected to “beatings and sexual violence” from other detainees. The report says that the majority of children subjected to these human rights violations are from low-income communities, as these areas tend to have higher rates of gang violence and presence. The report says:

For decades, pervasive poverty, social exclusion, and lack of educational and work opportunities have left few viable paths forward for children, enabling gangs to recruit and exploit them and security forces to stigmatize and harass them.

President Nayib Bukele requested the state of emergency, which came into effect on March 27, 2022, as a means of combating criminal gangs. The decree allows the government to temporarily restrict constitutional freedoms. It was extended on July 10 for another 30 days.

HRW says that rather than detaining children in an effort to fight gang activity, “doubly-victimizing” children who have been targeted by gangs, the government should “establish and implement a comprehensive security strategy that protects children from gang violence and recruitment.” HRW suggests this can be achieved through rehabilitation programs and reintegration support. It urges the government in El Salvador to establish mechanisms to review cases of detention which took place during the state of emergency.

HRW and other human rights bodies are urging the international community to respond to the human rights abuses against El Salvadoran children. Juanita Goebertus, HRW’s Americas director says that “[t]he government’s harsh targeting of children risks perpetuating the cycle of violence in El Salvador. […] Foreign governments should urge the Salvadoran government to end its human rights violations and protect the lives and futures of children.”