Greenlandic Women Achieve Judicial Victory in Battle against the Danish State over Coerced IUD Scandal.

Victims from a historical program where thousands of Inuit women and girls reportedly were forcibly fitted using intrauterine devices (IUDs) absent informed permission are declaring a win in their legal fight with the Danish government.

It has been announced the women will be eligible for compensation from a reconciliation package.

Government Settlement Finalized

Folketinget, along with the government, reached an agreement granting an estimated 4,500 Greenlandic women the right to seek 300,000 DKK (£35,000) per person.

This announcement comes after a three-year battle by 143 women who initiated legal proceedings demanding damages over the pain and suffering they experienced, which they said was a breach of fundamental human rights.

Colonial Context

Denmark administered Greenland under colonial rule until 1953 maintaining control of its medical services until 1992.

In September, after years of failing to acknowledge the violations, Denmark made an expression of regret. The prime minister apologized over the “institutional prejudice” targeting women and girls by the Danish healthcare system.

“It has had significant impacts on the Greenlandic women who suffered both bodily and mental trauma,” stated the government minister.

Compensation Process Outlined

The health ministry stated that women who were given contraception covertly between 1960 and 1991 can apply for payment from April 2026. The law is set to be enacted in June.

Based on results from a independent inquiry into contraceptive practices during that time, an estimated 4,500 women are potentially entitled to the fund.

For eligibility, applicants will need to:

• Submit a “plausible account” of the incident.
• Have lived in Greenland throughout the qualifying period.
• State on oath that they had no knowledge or consent for it to occur.

Perspectives from the Victims

One of the plaintiffs, recalling being 14 at the time she was instructed to go to the hospital for no clear reason, said it like an assault.

“Our activism publicly to the media has been successful,” she said. “It began in 2022 and now within three years we have secured an official apology and financial acknowledgment.”

Another voice shared happiness, saying, “We are happy. As my mother put it: we won.” Although there is a view the amount should have been higher, they expressed relief over the recognition of what happened.

Official Responses

A Greenlandic official called the compensation as “long overdue”. Stating clearly, “This isn't primarily financial. It is about formal acknowledgment of the hurt and the profound implications.”

A Danish health minister conceded the scandal represent a “dark chapter within the shared history”, noting while redress “will not erase the suffering for survivors” but it “serves to acknowledge and express regret over the experiences.”