Greenland will present two long-awaited reports on Friday 28 August examining human rights violations linked to historic cases in which Greenlandic women and girls were subjected to the insertion of intrauterine devices (IUDs) and other forms of contraception, including whether Denmark’s actions could meet the legal definition of genocide.
An intrauterine device (IUD) is a form of contraception placed in the uterus to prevent pregnancy. More than 4,000 Greenlandic women and girls had IUDs inserted during a Danish-led contraception campaign that began in the 1960s, with many later saying they had not been properly informed or had not consented.
The findings will arrive just one day after the Danish parliament is due to finalise compensation legislation for affected women, raising questions about how the reports’ assessment of responsibility will sit alongside Denmark’s existing response.
Denmark ran Greenland's health care system until 1992. In 2024, the Greenlandic self-government asked independent experts to investigate whether the Danish state committed a genocide and violated international law.
"As a society, we must have all the facts on the table, but we must also find ways to move forward together. Therefore, the investigation will also address how the trauma caused by the Contraception Case has affected society over generations,” the Greenlandic government wrote in a statement in 2024.
