Greenlandic Women Demand Compensation for Historical Human Rights Abuses Perpetrated by the Danish Government

16-10-2023 

Anouk Reilly 

Europe and Human Rights Researcher, 

Global Human Rights Defence 

Sixty-seven women in Greenland are demanding compensation of €40,200 each from Denmark regarding a violation of their human rights by a contraceptive policy initiated in the late 1960s (Euronews 2023). Even though Greenland was formally no longer a Danish colony in 1953, this policy was still supervised by Denmark over a decade later, which sought to lower and moderate Greenland’s population (Euronews 2023). To effect this policy, Denmark authorised Greenlandic women to be fitted with intrauterine devices (IUDs) without their awareness or consent (The Guardian 2023). 

During this policy’s realisation, 4,500 women and girls were violated, with the youngest affected being 12 years old (The Guardian 2023). The contraceptive policy had devastating effects on these women’s physical health, ranging from profuse pain, internal bleeding and infections to requiring having their uterus’ removed or resulting in them not being able to have children (The Guardian 2023). This policy still is having an impact today, with one woman finding out she had been fitted with a coil in the last year (The Guardian 2023). The consequences of this human rights violation are not only physical, with these women likely suffering severe emotional and psychological effects as a result of this abuse. 

Following a series of podcasts released by Danish radio and TV in the spring of 2022, the scale of this abuse was exposed (Euronews 2023). Shortly afterwards, an inquiry was launched by the Danish and Greenlandic government to investigate this policy and other birth-prevention practices in the Arctic territory between 1960 and 1991, with the findings to be published in 2025 (The Guardian 2023). Naja Lyberth, a psychologist and victim who initiated the request for compensation, stated that she does not want to wait for the findings to be published to receive justice, as it is abundantly clear that the Danish government broke international law and committed human rights abuses against the women of Greenland, and thus, justice is imperative. 

Sources and further readings:

Euronews (October 03, 2023), Forced Contraception: Greenland women seek compensation in Denmark. Euronew. Retrieved on October 16 from: https://www.euronews.com/2023/10/03/forced-contraception-greenland-women-seek-compensation-in-denmark   

Bryant, M (October 02, 2023). Greenlandic women plan to sue Danish state over historical contraceptive ‘violation’’. The Guardian. 

Retrieved on October 16, 2023 from: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/oct/02/greenlandic-women-sue-danish-state-over-historical-contraceptive-violation