Manuela Ramalho Eanes, founder and honorary president of the Institute for Child Support (IAC), stated in an interview with Diário de Notícias (DN) that the publication of a list of immigrant children’s names in the Portuguese Parliament by the leader of Chega is “illegal, unconstitutional, and ethically reprehensible.”
Manuela Ramalho Eanes argues that the State and all its branches must protect children, “even when such protection involves limiting the abusive actions of elected representatives.”
“It is illegal for violating data protection and childhood norms; unconstitutional for compromising equality, privacy, and dignity; and it is ethically reprehensible for exposing children to prejudice,” she explained, emphasizing that “children cannot be used as political weapons.”
The president of the IAC from 1983 to 2013 claims democracy “should welcome and protect everyone, including those who oppose and combat democracy.” However, tolerance, “which was designed to protect minorities, becomes ineffective when the majority fails to uphold this principle.”
Reading aloud the names of children to suggest they “are not Portuguese” violates international law, the Portuguese Constitution, the data protection law, and basic principles of human dignity, she reminded in the same interview.
In the case of a deputy reading immigrant children’s names in Parliament, “it is not just a privacy violation: it breaches fundamental principles of the democratic rule of law, human dignity, and children’s rights.”
Manuela Ramalho Eanes is certain that “using children’s names as a criterion for ethnic origin fosters discrimination and marginalization of children and their families,” which violates the “structuring principle” of the Portuguese legal system that “is grounded in human dignity.”
During the interview, in which she listed various children’s rights to structure her stance, Manuela Ramalho Eanes issued a warning: “Children are entitled to protection from society and the State, in view of their full development […]. The State, therefore, has a duty to protect the Child from stigma, xenophobia, and undue exposure.”
It should be remembered that Chega leader André Ventura revealed, in a plenary session of the Portuguese Parliament, a list of names of children enrolled in a Portuguese school, implying that there are more who “are not Portuguese” than those who are.
Despite the controversy and outrage following this action, the Chega leader has stated he “would do it again.”
The opposition leader, André Ventura, expressed seeing some “incompetence” in the current Minister of Justice, stating that more prison guards are needed. Regarding the reading of children’s names in Parliament, the political leader “would do it again.”
Notícias ao Minuto | 23:38 – 09/07/2025
This Tuesday, Manuela Ramalho Eanes will receive the Medal of Honor from the City of Lisbon. The ceremony will take place at 6 p.m. in the Noble Hall of the City Hall, in recognition of her dedication to social causes, especially the defense of children’s rights.
