El Salvador - February 2025

Children and adolescents convicted of or in pre-trial detention for crimes committed in “organized crime modality” will be remanded to adult penitentiaries, following changes to the Juvenile Criminal Law. Although separate wards for children under 18 years of age, and for those between 18 and 21 years will be established, they will be located in adult penitentiaries and administered by the Directorate General of Penal Centers. A joint statement by the UN’s Children’s Fund, the Committee on the Rights of the Child, the High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Population Fund, expressed concern for the measure, which contravenes international standards and obligations, and will deprive juvenile offenders of specialized support and opportunities for rehabilitation. Other organizations point to the prevalence of human rights abuses in adult prisons, which further imperil the ability of minors to rehabilitate, in a context where children as young as 12 years can be sentenced to a minimum of 10 years imprisonment for gang-related crimes.

Sources: Asamblea Legislativa,  UNICEF, El País