For many decades, Danish authorities implemented a policy in Greenland aimed at reducing the birth rate among the local population. Thousands of women and girls were subjected to the insertion of intrauterine devices and the administration of contraceptives without their consent.
According to a joint study conducted by Denmark and Greenland, the period from 1966 to 1991 affected no fewer than four thousand Greenlandic women and girls. At that time, Danish authorities believed that limiting population growth and reducing family sizes would help improve the quality of life, social conditions, and healthcare level on the island.
The consequences for some women were extremely serious: they suffered from severe bleeding, infections, and damaged fallopian tubes, and in some cases, hysterectomy was required, leading to the loss of fertility.
In 2024, the Greenlandic government instructed experts to conduct an investigation to determine whether this practice violated human rights and the rights of the indigenous population, and whether it could be classified as genocide. Disagreements arose during the commission's work, leading two of the four experts to withdraw and prepare a separate conclusion.
Both documents, published on August 28, confirmed violations of women's rights, including the rights to private and family life, as well as the rights to equality and protection against cruel or degrading treatment. However, the experts could not reach a consensus on whether this policy constituted an act of genocide.
To recognize an act as genocide, it is necessary to prove not only the application of measures to prevent births within a specific ethnic group but also the intent to completely or partially destroy that group. The authors of one of the separate reports found no evidence that the authorities or medical personnel intended to destroy the Greenlandic Inuit.
Another document emphasizes that based solely on contraceptive practices, such intent cannot be proven, but its authors admit that the assessment may change when examining other cases of rights violations against the Inuit by Denmark. The final decision on this matter remains with the court.
Greenland Prime Minister Jens Frederik Nielsen announced plans to establish a reconciliation commission to study the events that occurred. Previously, Danish authorities had apologized to the affected women and passed a law on August 27 providing each of them with compensation of 300,000 Danish kroner, equivalent to approximately 46,800 US dollars.