🔗 Share this article Greenlandic Females Secure Legal Victory in Fight with the Danish State over Coerced Contraceptive Coil Scandal. Survivors of a past program where numerous comprising Inuit women and girls reportedly were covertly implanted using intrauterine devices (IUDs) without their knowledge or consent are declaring a win in their court battle against Copenhagen. Officials have confirmed the women are now entitled to financial redress via a settlement package. Parliamentary Settlement Reached Folketinget, and state authorities, reached an agreement that entitles an estimated 4,500 Greenlandic women to claim kr. 300,000 (around thirty-five thousand pounds) each. This announcement comes after a three-year battle led by a group of claimants who initiated legal proceedings seeking damages over the pain and suffering they had endured, arguing it constituted a violation of their personal rights. Historical Background Denmark ruled Greenland under colonial rule until 1953 maintaining control of the island's medical services into the late 20th century. Earlier this year, following a long period of failing to acknowledge these actions, Denmark issued a formal official apology. The country's leader expressed sorrow for the “systemic discrimination” targeting women and girls by the Danish healthcare system. “It has had significant consequences for the Greenlandic women who suffered not only bodily and mental trauma,” said a government minister. Redress Procedure Outlined The health ministry stated those subjected to contraception without their knowledge or consent during a thirty-one year period can seek compensation starting next year. The law will come into force by mid-year. According to the findings from a impartial investigation of medical procedures during that time, an estimated 4,500 women are potentially entitled to the fund. To qualify, applicants must: Provide a “credible report” of the incident. Have lived in Greenland throughout the qualifying period. State on oath that they had no knowledge nor gave permission for it to occur. Perspectives of Victims A women, who was fourteen when she was instructed to go to the hospital for no clear reason, said the experience as feeling a violation. “Our activism as speakers and interviewees proved effective,” she said. “We started in 2022 and now a relatively short time we have secured an apology plus financial acknowledgment.” Another voice shared satisfaction, stating, “We are happy. As my mother put it: we won.” Although there is a view the compensation could have been greater, they expressed contentment regarding the acknowledgment of past events. Official Reactions An Inuit minister described the compensation being “well past due”. She emphasized, “It is not about the money. It concerns recognition of the hurt and its profound consequences.” The relevant health minister acknowledged these events was a “troubling period within the joint past”, adding while redress “will not erase the pain for survivors” yet it “helps to recognize and apologise for what they endured.”
Survivors of a past program where numerous comprising Inuit women and girls reportedly were covertly implanted using intrauterine devices (IUDs) without their knowledge or consent are declaring a win in their court battle against Copenhagen. Officials have confirmed the women are now entitled to financial redress via a settlement package. Parliamentary Settlement Reached Folketinget, and state authorities, reached an agreement that entitles an estimated 4,500 Greenlandic women to claim kr. 300,000 (around thirty-five thousand pounds) each. This announcement comes after a three-year battle led by a group of claimants who initiated legal proceedings seeking damages over the pain and suffering they had endured, arguing it constituted a violation of their personal rights. Historical Background Denmark ruled Greenland under colonial rule until 1953 maintaining control of the island's medical services into the late 20th century. Earlier this year, following a long period of failing to acknowledge these actions, Denmark issued a formal official apology. The country's leader expressed sorrow for the “systemic discrimination” targeting women and girls by the Danish healthcare system. “It has had significant consequences for the Greenlandic women who suffered not only bodily and mental trauma,” said a government minister. Redress Procedure Outlined The health ministry stated those subjected to contraception without their knowledge or consent during a thirty-one year period can seek compensation starting next year. The law will come into force by mid-year. According to the findings from a impartial investigation of medical procedures during that time, an estimated 4,500 women are potentially entitled to the fund. To qualify, applicants must: Provide a “credible report” of the incident. Have lived in Greenland throughout the qualifying period. State on oath that they had no knowledge nor gave permission for it to occur. Perspectives of Victims A women, who was fourteen when she was instructed to go to the hospital for no clear reason, said the experience as feeling a violation. “Our activism as speakers and interviewees proved effective,” she said. “We started in 2022 and now a relatively short time we have secured an apology plus financial acknowledgment.” Another voice shared satisfaction, stating, “We are happy. As my mother put it: we won.” Although there is a view the compensation could have been greater, they expressed contentment regarding the acknowledgment of past events. Official Reactions An Inuit minister described the compensation being “well past due”. She emphasized, “It is not about the money. It concerns recognition of the hurt and its profound consequences.” The relevant health minister acknowledged these events was a “troubling period within the joint past”, adding while redress “will not erase the pain for survivors” yet it “helps to recognize and apologise for what they endured.”