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. Frederiksen expressed, We cannot change what has happened. But we can take responsibility, acknowledging that victims had experienced both physical and psychological harm.
The scale of the birth-control program was first brought to light in 2022 by an investigative podcast called Spiralkampagnen - the coil campaign. The device used is commonly known as a coil and is placed inside the womb to prevent pregnancy.
Records from the national archives showed that between 1966 and 1970, 4,500 women and girls, some as young as 13, had an IUD implanted, with unclear consent in many cases. A group of 143 women have filed a lawsuit against the Danish state demanding compensation; 138 of them were under 18 at the time.
Speaking on Danish television, former Prime Minister of Greenland, Mute B Egede, referred to the situation as genocide. Frederiksen noted that the case had caused anger and sadness for many Greenlanders. The ongoing formal inquiry into these practices is set to release findings soon, aimed at ensuring such abuses never happen again.
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. Frederiksen expressed, We cannot change what has happened. But we can take responsibility, acknowledging that victims had experienced both physical and psychological harm.
The scale of the birth-control program was first brought to light in 2022 by an investigative podcast called Spiralkampagnen - the coil campaign. The device used is commonly known as a coil and is placed inside the womb to prevent pregnancy.
Records from the national archives showed that between 1966 and 1970, 4,500 women and girls, some as young as 13, had an IUD implanted, with unclear consent in many cases. A group of 143 women have filed a lawsuit against the Danish state demanding compensation; 138 of them were under 18 at the time.
Speaking on Danish television, former Prime Minister of Greenland, Mute B Egede, referred to the situation as genocide. Frederiksen noted that the case had caused anger and sadness for many Greenlanders. The ongoing formal inquiry into these practices is set to release findings soon, aimed at ensuring such abuses never happen again.
