A group of Indigenous women in Greenland has filed a lawsuit against Denmark for the forced insertion of intrauterine contraceptive devices in the 1960s and 1970s. The women are seeking total compensation of nearly 43 million kroner ($6.3 million) for the violation of their human rights.
The 143 Inuit women claim that Danish health authorities fitted them with the devices, commonly known as coils, without their consent. Some of the women, who were teenagers at the time, were unaware of the procedure.
Each woman is demanding 300,000 kroner ($44,000) in compensation. The purpose of the forced contraception was reportedly to control population growth in Greenland by preventing pregnancies, as the population on the Arctic island was rapidly increasing due to improved living conditions and healthcare.
According to Danish authorities, as many as 4,500 women and girls, approximately half of the fertile women in Greenland, received coil implants between the 1960s and mid-1970s.
An investigation into the program was launched by the governments of Denmark and Greenland in September 2022, with the results expected next year. However, the women's lawyer stated that they cannot wait any longer and are seeking justice through the court.
One of the affected women, Naja Lyberth, who was 14 when she had a coil fitted, emphasized the urgency of the situation, stating that they want to regain their self-respect and respect for their bodies while they are still alive.
Last year, 67 women initiated a lawsuit against Denmark over the forced contraception. The Danish government has offered psychiatric counseling to those impacted by the program.
This legal action is not the first time Denmark's past actions in Greenland have come under scrutiny. In 2020, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen issued an apology to 22 Greenland children who were forcibly taken to Denmark in 1951 as part of a failed social experiment aimed at modernizing Greenland.
Greenland, a former Danish colony, gained home rule in 1979 and became a self-governing entity in 2009. Despite this, Denmark retains control over its foreign and defense affairs. The history of Denmark's colonial rule in Greenland continues to impact relations between the two entities.
