Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has issued a formal apology for the forced contraception of thousands of Greenlandic women and girls, describing the practice as “systemic discrimination” by the Danish healthcare system. The apology, the first of its kind, comes ahead of a long-awaited investigation into the scandal, expected to be published in September.
Between 1966 and 1970, an estimated 4,500 girls and women, some as young as 12, were fitted with intrauterine devices (IUDs) without their consent or knowledge, in what has been described as an attempt to reduce Greenland’s population. Greenland was a Danish colony until 1953 and only gained control of its healthcare system in 1992.
“We cannot change what has happened. But we can take responsibility. Therefore, on behalf of Denmark, I would like to say: Sorry,” Frederiksen said. She added that the women suffered “both physical and psychological harm” because they were Greenlandic. Greenland’s former Prime Minister Múte B Egede has called the scandal a “genocide”.
In a joint statement, Greenland’s current Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen also apologised for cases after 1992 and said his government has been working on a compensation scheme since January. Separately, 143 women have sued the Danish state for 43 million Danish kroner, alleging human rights violations. Bula Larsen, one of the plaintiffs, said the apology brought her “peace in my mind to finally close this dark chapter in my life”.
