Denmark asked for forgiveness for the sterilization campaign he has carried out in Greenland for decades
Mette Frederiksen, Prime Minister Denmark. Photo: SOPA IMAGES / DDP USA / Profimedia
Denmark presented public forgiveness to the women in the indigenous population of Greenland who were victims of a birth control campaign for decades without their consent, Reuters reported.
The birth control campaign came to light in 2022, when the documents showed that thousands of women and girls, some only 13 years old, were subjected to the installation of intrauterine devices without their knowledge, between 1966 and 1991 – the year in which Greenland received the authority over its own health system.
“We cannot change what happened. But we can take responsibility. That's why, on behalf of Denmark, I would like to say: I'm sorry,” Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said on Wednesday.
The case is one of a series that have come to the surface in recent years, aiming for accusations of abuses committed by the Danish authorities against the population of Greenland, Danish semi-autonomous territory.
Also on Wednesday, Denmark convened on the main American diplomat in Copenhagen, following some reports of Danish information services showing that American citizens had carried out secret operations in Greenland.
Denmark, under increasing pressure from the US on Greenland theme
US President Donald Trump has repeatedly said that he wants the US to take control of Greenland for national and international security reasons, as well as to obtain control over the vast natural resources of the Arctic Island.
Its administration has invoked the abusive treatment applied in the past to the inhabitants of Greenland under the Danish leadership. Surveys show that most of the 60,000 inhabitants of Greenland support any independence from Denmark, but rejecting overwhelmingly a takeover by the United States.
Denmark also asked for public excuses in 2022 victims of an experiment in the 1950s, in which children from Greenland were taken to Denmark.
Last year, a group of women in Greenland, now at 70-80 years old, have applied for compensation from Denmark for the Birth Control campaign imposed without consent.
Until now, Denmark has not granted damages, invoking an in investigation meant to establish the extent of the cases and the decision -making process behind the campaign. The result of the investigation is expected next month.
