Greenland Government Reviewing Forced Contraception Allegations Against Danish Authorities

A commission established to examine the historical use of forced contraception on Inuit women by Danish authorities has not delivered a final verdict on whether these actions constitute genocide, according to the government of Greenland. The ongoing review follows a decision in 2022 to investigate the controversial programme.

During the 1960s and 1970s, thousands of Inuit women and girls were subjected to forced or coercive insertion of intrauterine devices (IUDs) by Danish health officials. This policy, ostensibly aimed at controlling Greenland’s birth rate, has been widely condemned by human rights organisations.

The commission, comprising Greenlandic and Danish experts, is scrutinising the historical records and personal testimonies related to these procedures. The government indicated that while the investigation is progressing, a definitive legal characterisation, particularly regarding genocide, remains under active consideration and no conclusions have been reached.

This initiative follows several apologies and compensation efforts by the Danish government concerning other historical injustices in Greenland, a former colony that gained home rule in 1979.