40,000 children left without parents as El Salvador jails 1% of population

An estimated 40,000 children in El Salvador have had one or both parents detained as part of President Nayib Bukele's anti-gang campaign, which aims to combat violence.

Forty thousand children have seen one parent or both detained in President Nayib Bukele’s nearly two-year war on El Salvador’s gangs, according to the national social services agency. The records were shared with The Associated Press by an official with the National Council on Children and Adolescents, who insisted on anonymity due to fear of government reprisal against those violating its tight control of information. The official said many more children have jailed parents but aren't in the records.