Justice Minister Paula Teixeira da Cruz marked the official opening of the judicial year by declaring war on sex crimes. The no-nonsense lawyer announced that she will be forging ahead with the creation of a database on convicted sex offenders and child predators.
“The high-profile publicity on cases involving ‘famous’ paedophiles have led to the setting up of databases in various countries with a view to prevention,” she said, explaining that heavy prison terms on their own were not enough to cope with the problem.
Teixeira da Cruz said there was a real need for “other measures” but her comments, made in the Supreme Court of Justice in front of the country’s law chiefs, sparked instant controversy, with former Attorney General Pinto Monteiro calling the idea “extremely dangerous”.
“It is a popular measure that appeals to the population, but, if we analyse it, it is a threat to private life,” he said.
True to form, Teixeira da Cruz replied that it was dangerous also to leave children to the mercy of “situations which we all know can repeat themselves”.
The Justice Minister added that details of the list are still to be clarified. Who would have access to it and whether the authorities would be privy to more details than say organisations that deal with children are all issues that will need clarification, she said.
