Greenlandic women will finally receive compensation for a contraception campaign carried out by Danish authorities over decades. On Thursday, Danish lawmakers took an important step toward paying compensation by approving a bill that provides a one‑time payment of 300,000 Danish kroner, or about 47,000 US dollars, to women who meet the established criteria.
The practice began in the 1960s and continued for the next decades. Greenlandic women and girls were fitted with intrauterine devices (IUDs), often without their knowledge. Some of them were only 12 years old, and many did not even know what was being done to them. For years, they lived silently with discomfort, health problems, and a sense of shame.
“This is something positive in a very sad context,” said Naaja Nathanielsen, one of two representatives of Greenland in the Danish parliament.
Decades of contraception campaign
The decision on compensation comes as Denmark is making significant efforts to maintain close ties with Greenland. The giant Arctic island, three times larger than Texas, is a semi‑autonomous territory of Denmark and has been the focus of President Donald Trump, who has threatened to annex it. Denmark has used almost all available means, including strengthening its presence and capabilities in Greenland, to counter Trump’s claims. Part of this strategy is to strengthen ties with the Greenlanders.
Although many Greenlanders have expressed a desire to maintain ties with Denmark, relations between the parties remain complex, especially because of the contraception campaign. Known as the “Spiral Case” because of the shape of the intrauterine devices used, this campaign has become a disturbing symbol of what Greenlanders consider years of harsh treatment by Danish authorities.
As part of the Danish government’s long‑term efforts to curb the population growth of Greenland, Danish doctors invited Greenlandic women and girls for medical examinations. They were often secretly fitted with IUDs as a method of contraception. In many cases, women and girls only learned about the presence of the spiral years later when they had health problems. Some of them remained infertile for life.
The campaign lasted until the 1990s, and experts believe that the population of Greenland, which now stands at about 57,000 people, would have been significantly larger if it had not been carried out.
After decades of silence, some women dared to speak out about what happened a few years ago. This led to a flood of testimonies that revealed the scale of this practice: according to a report published last year, more than 4,000 Greenlandic women were affected. Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen of Denmark offered official apologies, stating: “On behalf of Denmark, I apologize.”
Application process and personal testimonies
Another report commissioned by the government on the legal aspects of this campaign and whether it can be classified as genocide is expected to be published soon. Women who will apply for compensation will have to submit an application with a detailed description of what happened to them, the Danish authorities reported.
“We know it can be difficult for a woman to describe what happened, but we need to hear what she remembers so that we can make a decision in her case,” said Trine Berner Madsen, an official involved in the process.
Medical documents are not mandatory, although applicants can provide them to support their words. Aana Uulat Bah, a retired teacher living in Nuuk, the capital of Greenland, said the decision to pay compensation gave her “tremendous relief.”
“The scars we carry inside will remain,” she said in a telephone interview on Thursday. “But now we have the opportunity to move forward.”
Bah, who is 64 years old, said she was fitted with an IUD when she was about 13 years old. She later faced fertility problems, including blocked fallopian tubes, and experienced two ectopic pregnancies, which can be life‑threatening. Despite this, she has a son whom she calls a “miracle.”
“My struggle in this matter is coming to an end,” she said. “We no longer have to wonder whether we will ever be recognized.”
