Danish prime minister Mette Frederiksen arrived in Denmark’s autonomous territory of Greenland for a ceremony on Wednesday to apologise in person to the victims of a forced contraception programme that Copenhagen ran for more than three decades.
Aaja Chemnitz Larsen, an MP who represents Greenland in the Danish parliament, said:
“It will be a very important moment for these women, obviously, but also for society as a whole. It’s a second step in the reconciliation process after first announcing the apology in late August.”
However, the MP stated that the apology was a direct result of Trump’s assertive statements about taking over Greenland:
It’s the external pressure, especially from the U.S., that is forcing Denmark to increase its efforts. I’ve been an MP for 10 years and I’ve never seen so much action until now.
Between the late 1960s and 1992, Danish authorities forced approximately 4,500 Inuit women—about half of those of childbearing age—to use intrauterine devices (IUDs) without their consent. The policy, aimed at reducing the Inuit birth rate, left many women sterile and caused widespread physical and psychological harm.
The Danish and Greenlandic governments agreed to launch an inquiry into this scandal, which was recently completed.
