Denmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has issued a historic official apology to Greenlandic women and their families for what she called "systematic discrimination" during a decades-long contraceptive campaign. The long-awaited acknowledgment addresses a scandal that affected thousands of Inuit women and girls during the 1960s and 1970s.
"We cannot change what has happened. But we can take responsibility," Frederiksen said. "On behalf of Denmark, I would like to say sorry," she added, acknowledging that victims had "experienced both physical and psychological harm".
Scale of systematic programme
Between 1966 and 1970, 4,500 women and girls were fitted with intrauterine devices (IUDs), some as young as 12 or 13 years old. The contraceptive devices were implanted by Danish doctors as part of a birth-control programme administered during Denmark's colonial oversight of Greenland's healthcare system.
The affected women represented roughly half of all fertile women in Greenland at the time. The widespread use of birth control severely slowed Greenland's population growth, with the former Prime Minister of Greenland, Mute Egede, describing it as "genocide" in December.
Victims speak out
Many women have come forward saying they were fitted with IUDs without their knowledge or consent, with some left permanently sterile. Victim Bula Larsen was fitted at age 14 and left sterile, describing the pain as like "shattered glass in her abdomen".
One victim, Henriette Berthelsen, said she was happy with the apology, even if it had come quite belatedly. Naja Lyberth, a psychologist and victim, told the BBC it was "100% clear the government had broken the law by violating our human rights and causing us serious harm".
Legal action and investigation
A group of 143 women have filed a lawsuit against the Danish state demanding compensation, with 138 of them having been under 18 at the time of the procedure. Their lawyer, Mads Pramming, welcomed the apology but noted they had heard nothing about whether Denmark admits this was a human rights violation.
A formal inquiry was launched following the 2022 revelations by an investigative podcast called "Spiralkampagnen" (The Coil Campaign). The investigation's findings will be released next month after two years of examination.
Colonial context and broader impact
Greenland was a Danish colony until 1953 and did not gain home rule until 1979, with Copenhagen continuing to oversee healthcare until 1992. Some forced contraception cases occurred even after this transfer of responsibility, with instances reported as late as 2018.
This scandal represents one of several controversies involving Danish treatment of Greenlanders, including forced adoptions and family separations. The programme shows similarities to forced sterilisation programmes targeting Native Americans in the United States and indigenous women in Peru.
Government response
Greenland's Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen acknowledged his government's responsibility for cases after 1992 but said it was "about time" Denmark had officially apologised. "For too long, the victims have been silenced to death," he said on Facebook.
Aaja Chemnitz, a Greenlandic MP in the Danish parliament, welcomed the apology and emphasised the need for compensation. "These different cases are not historic, but actually present. These are people living today, that have been affected by this," she said.
Sources used: "BBC", "The Guardian", "Independent", "Morning Star" Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
