Children suspected of being affiliated with Isis are being arrested and subjected to torture in order to coerce confessions, a Human Rights Watch report has said.

The Iraqi and Kurdish regional government authorities have charged at least 185 children with terrorism for alleged affiliation with the terror group, the group said.

Its report found approximately 1,500 children were being held in detention for alleged links to Isis at the end of 2018.

Jo Becker, children’s rights advocacy director for Human Rights Watch, said: “This sweeping, punitive approach is not justice, and will create lifelong negative consequences for many of these children.”

The Independent has contacted Iraqi and Kurdish authorities for comment.

Timeline of the Isis caliphate Show all 19 1 /19 Timeline of the Isis caliphate Timeline of the Isis caliphate ISIS began as a group by the merging of extremist organisations ISI and al-Nusra in 2013. Following clashes, Syrian rebels captured the ISIS headquarters in Aleppo in January 2014 (pictured) AFP/Getty Timeline of the Isis caliphate Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi declared the creation of a caliphate in Mosul on 27 June 2014 Timeline of the Isis caliphate Isis conquered the Kurdish towns of Sinjar and Zumar in August 2014, forcing thousands of civilians to flee their homes. Pictured are a group of Yazidi Kurds who have fled Rex Timeline of the Isis caliphate On September 2 2014 Isis released a video depicting the beheading of US journalist Steven Sotloff. On September 13 they released another video showing the execution of British aid worker David Haines Timeline of the Isis caliphate The US launched its first airstrikes against Isis in Syria on 23 September 2014. Here Lt Gen William C Mayville Jnr speaks about the bombing campaign in the wake of the first strikes Getty Timeline of the Isis caliphate Isis militants sit atop a hill planted with their flag in the Syrian town of Kobani on 6 October 2014. They had been advancing on Kobani since mid-September and by now was in control of the city’s entrance and exit points AFP/Getty Timeline of the Isis caliphate Residents of the border village of Alizar keep guard day and night as they wait in fear of mortar fire from Isis who have occupied the nearby city of Kobani Getty Timeline of the Isis caliphate Smoke rises following a US airstrike on Kobani, 28 October 2014 AFP/Getty Timeline of the Isis caliphate YPG fighters raise a flag as they reclaim Kobani on 26 January 2015 VOA Timeline of the Isis caliphate Isis seized the ancient Syrian city of Palmyra on 20 May 2015. This image show the city from above days after its capture by Isis Getty Timeline of the Isis caliphate Kurdish forces are stationed on a hill above the town of Sinjar as smoke rises following US airstrikes on 12 November 2015 AFP/Getty Timeline of the Isis caliphate Kurdish forces enter Sinjar after seizing it from Isis control on 13 November 2015 AFP/Getty Timeline of the Isis caliphate Iraqi government forces make the victory sign as they retake the city of Fallujah from ISIS on 26 June 2016 Getty Timeline of the Isis caliphate Iraqi forces battle with Isis for the city of Mosul on 30 June 2017 AFP/Getty Timeline of the Isis caliphate Members of the Iraqi federal police raise flags in Mosul on 8 July 2017. On the following day, Iraqi prime minister Haider Al Abadi declares victory over Isis in Mosul Getty Timeline of the Isis caliphate Members of Syrian Democratic Forces celebrate in Al-Naim square after taking back the city of Raqqa from Isis. US-backed Syrian forces declare victory over Isis in Raqqa on 20 October 2017 after a four-month long campaign Getty Timeline of the Isis caliphate Female fighters of the Syrian Democratic Forces celebrate in Al-Naim Square after taking back the city of Raqqa from Isis. US-backed Syrian forces declare victory over Isis in Raqqa on 20 October 2017 after a four-month long campaign AFP/Getty Timeline of the Isis caliphate Trucks full of women and children arrive from the last Isis-held areas in Deir ez-Zor, Syria in January 2019 They were among the last civilians to be living in the ISIS caliphate, by this time reduced to just two small villages in Syria’s Deir ez-Zor Richard Hall/The Independent Timeline of the Isis caliphate Zikia Ibrahim, 28, with her two-year-old son and 8-month-old daughter, after fleeing the Isis caliphate, on Saturday 26 January 2019 Richard Hall/The Independent

Human Rights Watch’s 53-page report alleged Iraqi and Kurdish authorities use “deeply flawed screening processes” which “often lead to detention and prosecution of children regardless of whether they have any involvement with Isis, or the extent of that involvement”.

It said Iraqi and Kurdish authorities regularly arrest and prosecute children for any perceived connection to Isis, use torture to coerce confessions and sentence children to prison in “hasty and unfair” trials.

In November, the rights group interviewed 29 people who had been detained as children for alleged links to Isis.

Of those, 19 said they had been tortured, including being beaten with plastic pipes, electric cables or suffering electric shocks.

One 17-year-old boy said he was beaten and hung in the air for 10 minutes at a time by his wrists, which were tied behind his back.

The report said most of the children who admitted to being associated with Isis said they joined because of economic need, peer or family pressure, while others cited family problems or a desire to gain social status.

Some said they worked for the terror group as guards, cooks or drivers.

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The report said some Iraqi children who have been arrested for suspected Isis involvement have claimed they are afraid to go home once released, because they fear they have been branded as Isis members by being arrested, making them vulnerable to revenge attacks.

Human Rights Watch said children recruited by armed groups should be recognised primarily as victims who should be rehabilitated and reintegrated into society.