Denmark, Greenland Apologize for Forced IUD Use on Inuit Women

Copenhagen, August 27 (AP) – Denmark and Greenland issued an apology on Wednesday for their involvement in the historical mistreatment of Indigenous Greenlandic girls and women, particularly in cases involving forced contraception dating back to the 1960s.

Last year, nearly 150 Inuit women filed a lawsuit against Denmark, claiming compensation from the Danish health ministry. They asserted that their human rights were breached when Danish health authorities fitted them with intrauterine contraceptive devices (IUDs) without consent. These devices, placed in the uterus, are designed to prevent pregnancy by stopping sperm from fertilizing an egg.

A troubling number of these women, many of whom were in their teenage years at the time, were either unaware of the procedure or had not given their consent. According to Danish authorities, up to 4,500 women and girls—estimated to be about half of the fertile female population of Greenland at the time—were fitted with IUDs between the 1960s and the mid-1970s.

The purported aim was to curb population growth in Greenland by reducing the birth rate. At the time, the population was increasing rapidly due to improved living standards and healthcare advancements on the Arctic island.

Ahead of an anticipated report related to an investigation into these incidents, the governments of Denmark and Greenland issued a joint statement to apologize. “We cannot change what has happened. But we can take responsibility,” remarked Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen in the statement. “That is why I would like to say, on behalf of Denmark: Sorry.”

Frederiksen also extended her apology to encompass broader instances of systematic discrimination and mishandling against Greenlanders, acknowledging the physical and psychological damage inflicted by the forced contraception policies.

Jens-Frederik Nielsen, the Prime Minister of Greenland, noted that although the island assumed control of its health sector from Denmark in 1992, his government takes responsibility for its role in these cases. He announced Greenland’s decision to compensate the victims.

Once a colony under Danish rule, Greenland transitioned to becoming a Danish province in 1953. It gained home rule in 1979, and thirty years later, Greenland achieved self-governing status within the Danish realm. (AP)

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