Greenland Launches Truth Commission on Forced Contraception

Greenland’s justice minister, Marianne Paviasen, says the government cannot yet determine whether Denmark’s forced contraception programme amounted to genocide against Greenland’s Inuit population. Her comments followed the publication of two sharply divided expert reports examining the insertion of intra-uterine devices (IUDs) into Greenlandic women and girls during the 1960s and 1970s. National archive records indicate that about 4,500 women and girls, some as young as 13, were fitted with IUDs between 1966 and 1970 under a birth-control programme administered by Danish doctors. Many later said the devices were inserted without their knowledge or consent. The policy contributed to a dramatic decline in Greenland’s fertility rate, from seven children per woman in 1966 to 2.3 by 1974. A panel was asked to determine whether human rights violations had occurred and whether they met the legal definition of genocide. Two remaining experts, Dalee Sambo Dorough and Miriam Cullen, concluded that Inuit women’s rights had been violated but said genocide could not be established on the basis of contraceptive practices alone. They said genocidal intent by Denmark remained a possible inference that a court could assess using evidence beyond their report, including the removal of Inuit children to Danish families. A separate report by Jonas Christoffersen and Jensine Nedergaard found that women had been wronged but said there was no evidence that authorities or healthcare professionals intended to destroy Greenland’s population. The disagreement has left Greenland’s government without a definitive conclusion. Denmark apologised in 2024 and has passed a law offering 300,000 Danish kroner to each affected woman. Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen announced plans for a reconciliation commission, while Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said the two governments would address the issue together. Survivors continue to criticise the process, particularly because no Greenlandic Inuit experts were included on the panel, and describe the policy as a profound violation of bodily autonomy and dignity.

Greenland will establish a Truth and Reconciliation Commission to investigate Denmark’s forced contraception campaign against Greenlandic Inuit women and girls. From the 1960s through 1990, more than 4,000 women were fitted with intrauterine devices (IUDs), often without their consent or, when they were minors, without their parents’ consent. Some girls were as young as 12, and some victims were reportedly unable to have children afterward. The decision follows a disagreement among experts appointed in 2024 to examine whether the campaign constituted genocide. The panel produced two reports rather than a unified conclusion: one found no genocide, while the other said genocide might have occurred. Both reports agreed that the programme may have violated multiple human rights and the rights of Indigenous peoples. Greenland’s Justice Minister Marianne Paviasen said the government could not determine whether genocide had occurred, while Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said the priority was to begin a healing process and cooperate with Denmark. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said Copenhagen would work with Greenland to find a shared political path. Denmark’s parliament has agreed that affected women can seek compensation, following an official Danish apology delivered by Frederiksen the previous year. Victims have criticised the investigation, particularly because no Greenlandic Inuit was included among the experts. Henriette Berthelsen, a survivor and long-time advocate for a truth commission, said the issue concerned bodily autonomy, personal suffering and the right to self-determination. Other survivors described renewed trauma, medical procedures, missed schooling and pain connected to the IUDs. The campaign’s scale became widely known through media coverage, including a 2022 podcast series, after an investigation reported that at least 4,070 women had received IUDs by the late 1970s. Greenland and Denmark are also examining other painful aspects of their shared history, including adoptions carried out without parental consent.

Greenland’s government announced that it will establish a Truth and Reconciliation Commission to investigate a Danish campaign that imposed contraception on thousands of Greenlandic Inuit women and girls between the 1960s and 1990. More than 4,000 women—possibly at least 4,070 according to a 2025 investigation—were fitted with intrauterine devices (IUDs), often without their consent or the consent of their parents. Some victims were as young as 12, and some were reportedly unable to have children afterward. Greenland made the announcement after a four-member expert commission, created in 2024, failed to reach a unanimous conclusion on whether the campaign constituted genocide. One report rejected that characterization, while another said genocide might have occurred. Both reports agreed that the program may have violated multiple human rights and the rights of Indigenous peoples. Greenland’s Justice Minister Marianne Paviasen said the government could not determine whether genocide had taken place, while Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said the immediate priority was to begin a healing process and cooperate with Denmark. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, who formally apologized to victims the previous year, also expressed support for a joint political process. Denmark’s parliament separately agreed that affected women could seek compensation from Copenhagen. Victims have criticized the investigations, particularly because no Greenlandic Inuit were included among the experts. Henriette Berthelsen said the issue concerned her body, life and right to self-determination rather than merely history or politics. Media coverage, including a 2022 podcast series, has brought renewed attention to trauma that many victims had buried for decades. Greenland and Denmark are also examining other painful colonial-era issues, including children adopted without parental consent.