Denmark prevented some of its colonists from reproducing by inserting IUDs into them without their consent. The applicants for compensation say that Denmark committed a human rights violation.
In Greenland, which was under Danish rule, thousands of women were fitted with IUDs without their knowledge.
Archives reveal that 4,500 IUDs were inserted between 1966 and 1970. The youngest of the women were just 13 years old, according to Denmark’s national archives.
Greenland was a Danish colony from the 18th century until 1953. Today, Greenland is an autonomous part of Denmark.
The governments of Denmark and Greenland have launched an investigation into the matter, which is scheduled to be completed in 2025. However, some of those subjected to forced contraception demand compensation even before then, the women and their lawyers said this week.
– We are getting older. The oldest of us who had an IUD inserted are already approaching eighty. We want to act now, said the person who started the compensation initiative Naja Lyberth.
According to Lyberth, some of the IUDs were too large, causing serious health problems and even infertility.
– It is quite clear that the government has broken the law by violating our human rights, Lyberth said.
According to the compensation applicants, Denmark wanted to control the size of the indigenous population in order to save costs.
The extent of the practice began to be revealed in Denmark last year in the podcast series.
BBC: The practice continued longer than previously thought
According to the government of Greenland, before 1969, an estimated 35 percent of women in the region who could have potentially had children had to experience forced contraception, reports the Danish public broadcaster DR.
Forced contraception has reportedly continued until 1975, but According to the BBC story it continued for many more years.
The women have told of their shock after the practice was discovered by chance. One woman found out she had an IUD after trying to get pregnant in 2009.
Sources: Reuters
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