Denmark Establishes Reconciliation Fund for Greenlandic Women Affected by Forced Contraception

Denmark Announces Reconciliation Fund for Greenlandic Women

Denmark has announced plans to establish a reconciliation fund aimed at providing individual financial compensation to Greenlandic women who were subjected to forced contraception and other forms of systematic discrimination. The announcement was made by Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen on Monday, September 22, 2025, ahead of a formal apology ceremony scheduled for Wednesday, September 24, 2025, in Nuuk, Greenland.

Historical Injustice: The 'Spiral Case'

The fund primarily addresses the historical 'spiral case,' a campaign from the 1960s until 1992 where Danish authorities fitted thousands of Greenlandic Inuit girls and women with intrauterine devices (IUDs), often without their knowledge or consent. Estimates suggest that as many as 4,500 women and girls, approximately half of the fertile women in Greenland at the time, received IUDs between 1966 and 1970 alone. Some victims were as young as 12 years old. The alleged purpose of this campaign was to reduce the birth rate in Greenland. Many women reported suffering physical and psychological harm, with some experiencing sterility. In March 2024, a group of 143 women filed a lawsuit against the Danish state, seeking compensation for human rights violations.

Broader Discrimination and Official Apologies

Prime Minister Frederiksen's statement indicated that the reconciliation fund would also compensate other Greenlanders who faced systematic discrimination due to their origin. Denmark formally apologized for the IUD scandal in August 2025. During her visit to Nuuk, Frederiksen is set to discuss the fund with her Greenlandic counterpart, Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen. Nielsen has described the issue as a 'dark chapter in our history' and acknowledged Greenland's own responsibility in cases that occurred after it took control of its health sector in 1992. Frederiksen emphasized Denmark's responsibility, stating, 'We cannot change what has happened, but we can take responsibility and we can create the conditions for reconciliation with the past.'

The Path to Reconciliation

While the exact size of the reconciliation fund has not yet been specified, its establishment marks a significant step in addressing historical injustices. The initiative aims to provide individual financial compensation, acknowledging the profound impact of these policies on the lives of many Greenlandic individuals and communities. This move follows previous apologies from Denmark for other historical abuses, including a social experiment in the 1950s where 22 Greenlandic children were removed from their families.