Thousands of Inuit women in Greenland are now eligible to receive monetary compensation due to a long-standing Danish birth control program that forcibly inserted intrauterine devices (IUDs). This compensation has given hope to some Inuit women in Canada who have faced similar treatment, as they await an apology from their own government.
The Danish government recently approved a bill to provide compensation, approximately a year after the country’s prime minister apologized for the historical birth control initiative. A joint Greenlandic-Danish inquiry in 2025 revealed that between 1966 and 1991, about 4,000 Greenlandic women and girls, some as young as 12, underwent forced sterilizations, often without their consent.
Naaja Nathanielsen, a Greenlandic member of the Danish parliament, highlighted the lasting impact of this dark chapter in history on women in the country today. She emphasized the significant trauma inflicted by these actions, leading to a preference for abortions over other forms of contraception among women.
The Danish government’s objective behind the program was to control birth rates and family sizes on the island. Women who were subjected to IUD insertion as part of the program are now entitled to a one-time payment of around $64,000 CAD. However, some Greenlandic politicians expressed disappointment over the delayed compensation, emphasizing the urgency of the situation.
In Canada, the recent actions by the Danish government have sparked optimism that the federal government might follow suit. Over the years, numerous Indigenous women in Canada underwent forced and coerced sterilization, with the practices persisting beyond the 1990s. Reports from 2022 and 2021 shed light on the deliberate efforts through eugenics laws and government policies to curb births in Indigenous communities.
Cecilia Papak, an Inuk woman in Rankin Inlet, shared her experience of being coerced into sterilization in the late 1970s after being advised to undergo a hysterectomy by doctors. She expressed disappointment in the government’s approach, stating that she felt compelled to accept surgery to stop having children to ensure her own well-being.
Despite the lack of a formal apology from the Canadian government regarding forced sterilization of Indigenous women, there is hope that the Danish government’s actions will prompt Ottawa to acknowledge and compensate the victims. Class-action lawsuits have been initiated in Canada against the federal government over these practices, with legislative measures being taken to address the issue.
Given the shared history of forced sterilization in both Greenland and Canada, there is a call for mutual learning and collaboration between the two countries to navigate this dark chapter. It is emphasized that open communication and shared experiences can guide the way forward in addressing this global issue.