Portugal’s paedophile list has 5,618 names on it but parents are not allowed to know the details.
The register containing names and addresses of all of those convicted in Portugal of sex crimes against children was set up under a law enacted in November 2015.
At the time, the National Data Protection Commission said the establishment of the list was "inappropriate, unnecessary and excessive" saying it would lead to "stigmatisation and social exclusion."
Portugal’s State prosecution service argued against access for parents being able to access the list as this could result in a "very serious restriction of rights" that "can completely exclude the convicted person from any life in society."
These reservations led the Passos Coelho government to introduce an amendment before the final vote to keep the names on the list secret from parents.
In the original draft legislation parents and carers of children up to 16 years could question the police if a person was on the list if they had a well-founded suspicion.
The amended legislation was pushed through by the government majority with all opposition MPs voting against it.
The result is a list of 5,618 names on a list that parents can not access.
