Background

In 2012, a Portuguese family court ordered seven of Liliana Melo’s ten children to be put up for adoption. The judge denied Liliana any contact with them.

Liliana’s children were her whole life. She said she loved them and did not mistreat them.

But in the court’s view, Liliana was unable to be a mother. She had neglected her children, failing to keep them clean and cared for.

Social services had raised concerns about the family for several years. Liliana was effectively bringing up the children alone, as their father was mostly absent.

On one visit, social workers noted that their apartment was dirty and had no running water or electricity because of unpaid bills. They thought the parents were failing to improve things under a child protection plan.

At one point the authorities updated the plan, requiring that Liliana get sterilised. She refused to do so, which would later be held against her in court.

Liliana and her husband went on to challenge the family court’s decision, saying it threatened their children’s wellbeing. However, their appeals ultimately failed.

By the time the European Court of Human Rights issued its judgment, the parents still had one legal challenge pending in Portugal, including a complaint that they had initially had no lawyer during the proceedings leading up to the adoption order.