Children Targets of Torture, Amnesty International Says
Children are routinely tortured and killed or arbitrarily detained by police in many countries around the world, Amnesty International said Wednesday.
The London-based human rights group also condemned U.S. states for executing people for crimes they committed as juveniles.
Its report, “Innocence Betrayed: Human Rights Violations Against Children and Young People,” describes the slaying of street children in Brazil by vigilante squads and the brutal detention of youngsters in India.
Other examples include a 16-year-old Kurdish girl who died in Turkish police custody, her body showing signs of extensive torture. A Mexican teen-ager is said to have been so savagely tortured that he hardly had the strength to react to his toenails being pulled out.
“Some children are deliberately targeted for human rights abuses because they are seen as social or political threats; others have been detained or tortured in order to force surrender or confession from their parents,” the report said.
The group, which opposes capital punishment in all circumstances, said: “A handful of governments continue to impose the ultimate form of cruel and inhuman punishment on children.”
The United States is criticized for executions of people for crimes committed as juveniles. The report said five such executions were carried out over the past 10 years, more than in any other country.
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