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

Human Rights Watch says ill-treatment of some minors arbitrarily held in gang crackdown amounts to torture

About 3,000 children - including some as young as 12 - have been swept up in El Salvador's mass detentions since President Nayib Bukele began his crackdown on gangs two years ago, according to a new report from Human Rights Watch (HRW).

The report, which draws on case files and almost 100 interviews with victims, police and officials, documents the arbitrary detention of children and ill-treatment that in some cases amounted to torture.