In a criminal law reform, the Salvadoran parliament has worsened the conditions for children and adolescents within the criminal system through the amendments to the to the Prisons Law, the Juvenile Criminal Law and the Law against Organized Crime. For example, there is an absence of a fair trial in judicial proceeding where children are sentenced as adults. Many imprisoned adolescents often are sent to adult prisons where they are subjected to overcrowded facilities that apply torture and have had high numbers of inmate deaths. Amnesty International highlights that this harsh and unforgiving approach harms children and adolescents through deprivation of their liberty and torture that harms their chances of reintegrating back into society- reinforcing existing human rights violations. This report requests that El Salvador reverse these changes and immediately address the grave human rights violations occurring in their courts and prisons.
Compiled from: "El Salvador: Criminal law reforms exacerbate human rights violations against children and adolescents," Amnesty International, Feb. 27, 2025.