Denmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has issued a long-awaited apology to the Greenlandic women and their families affected by what she called systematic discrimination during a contraceptive campaign. During the 1960s and 70s, thousands of Inuit women and girls as young as 12 were fitted with contraceptive devices, as part of a birth-control program administered by Danish doctors. We cannot change what has happened. But we can take responsibility, Frederiksen stated during her apology, acknowledging the physical and psychological harm experienced by the victims.
The campaign was first exposed in an investigative podcast aired in 2022, which revealed that many women were fitted with an intra-uterine device (IUD) without their knowledge or consent. The report triggered shock and anger among the public, who had largely been unaware of the scale of the program until now.
Records indicated that between 1966 and 1970, approximately 4,500 women and girls, some as young as 13, had undergone the procedure. Despite the unclear number of cases lacking consent, numerous women have shared their traumatic experiences, with some noting serious health complications and infertility as a result of the forced contraception.
A formal inquiry is ongoing, seeking to shed complete light on the matter. Frederiksen's apology has been met with mixed feelings among the victims, some of whom appreciate the acknowledgment yet feel it is long overdue. Greenland's Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen has also recognized the need for accountability, emphasizing that these past actions have caused deep hurt among many families and affected their perspectives on Denmark.
This situation is part of a larger historical context involving Denmark's treatment of Greenlanders, which features other issues such as forced adoptions and systemic discrimination. Calls for reparations and compensation are currently being discussed amid ongoing investigations into the full extent of the abuses suffered by Inuit women.
The campaign was first exposed in an investigative podcast aired in 2022, which revealed that many women were fitted with an intra-uterine device (IUD) without their knowledge or consent. The report triggered shock and anger among the public, who had largely been unaware of the scale of the program until now.
Records indicated that between 1966 and 1970, approximately 4,500 women and girls, some as young as 13, had undergone the procedure. Despite the unclear number of cases lacking consent, numerous women have shared their traumatic experiences, with some noting serious health complications and infertility as a result of the forced contraception.
A formal inquiry is ongoing, seeking to shed complete light on the matter. Frederiksen's apology has been met with mixed feelings among the victims, some of whom appreciate the acknowledgment yet feel it is long overdue. Greenland's Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen has also recognized the need for accountability, emphasizing that these past actions have caused deep hurt among many families and affected their perspectives on Denmark.
This situation is part of a larger historical context involving Denmark's treatment of Greenlanders, which features other issues such as forced adoptions and systemic discrimination. Calls for reparations and compensation are currently being discussed amid ongoing investigations into the full extent of the abuses suffered by Inuit women.
