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 programme administered by Danish doctors. We cannot change what has happened. But we can take responsibility, Frederiksen said of the scandal. On behalf of Denmark, I would like to say sorry, she acknowledged that victims had experienced both physical and psychological harm.
The scale of the birth-control programme was first brought to light in 2022, by an investigative podcast called Spiralkampagnen - the coil campaign. The device used, commonly known as a coil, is placed inside the womb, or uterus, to prevent pregnancy. Many women have come forward stating they were fitted with an intra-uterine device (IUD) without their knowledge or consent.
Records from the national archives reveal that between 1966 and 1970, approximately 4,500 women and girls had an IUD implanted. A group of 143 women has filed a lawsuit against the Danish state demanding compensation, with 138 of them being under 18 at the time of the procedure.
Greenland's Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said it was about time that Denmark apologized, stating: For too long, the victims... have been silenced to death. The formal inquiry into the coil scandal is ongoing, with findings expected soon to address the full extent of these actions and ensuring similar violations don't occur in the future.
The scale of the birth-control programme was first brought to light in 2022, by an investigative podcast called Spiralkampagnen - the coil campaign. The device used, commonly known as a coil, is placed inside the womb, or uterus, to prevent pregnancy. Many women have come forward stating they were fitted with an intra-uterine device (IUD) without their knowledge or consent.
Records from the national archives reveal that between 1966 and 1970, approximately 4,500 women and girls had an IUD implanted. A group of 143 women has filed a lawsuit against the Danish state demanding compensation, with 138 of them being under 18 at the time of the procedure.
Greenland's Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said it was about time that Denmark apologized, stating: For too long, the victims... have been silenced to death. The formal inquiry into the coil scandal is ongoing, with findings expected soon to address the full extent of these actions and ensuring similar violations don't occur in the future.
