Unicef is concerned Thursday in a press release about the recruitment of children and adolescents by
"maras"
, criminal gangs in El Salvador, but
"imprisoning them is not the solution"
, warns the UN agency for the protection of children.
“With recent changes in the criminal law for minors (in El Salvador), children and adolescents between the ages of 12 and 15 convicted of a crime committed as part of a criminal group risk up to 10 years in prison.
From the age of 16 they incur sentences of up to 20 years in prison, ”
recalls UNICEF.
Read alsoSalvador: President threatens to make detainees “pay” for gang crimes
Minors can also be detained until their judgment.
“None of these measures complies with the provisions of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, to which El Salvador has acceded,”
warns UNICEF.
“Punitive measures, on their own, will not bring a solution to gang violence”
, underlines the UN agency, asking
“urges the government of El Salvador to review the changes made to the criminal law for minors”.
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights on Tuesday expressed
"the deep concern"
of the
President Nayib Bukele welcomed Thursday the arrest of
"7467 bandits"
since the start of the offensive against the maras 12 days ago.
After a series of 87 murders between March 25 and 27, Parliament immediately approved the establishment of a state of emergency for one month.
It allows arrests without a warrant of suspected members of maras, mainly those of Mara Salvatrucha and Barrio 18, which have some 70,000 members in El Salvador.
Parliament with a presidential majority has also recently amended the penal code to increase the maximum sentence for gang leaders from nine to 45 years in prison.