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Denmark apologizes for abuse of Greenlandic indigenous women

DW News · Just In
DW News
DW News
Just In

In the 1960s and '70s, Danish doctors fitted Greenlandic women with contraceptives in a campaign allegedly aimed at curbing population growth in the former colony. One Inuit woman told DW that the trauma of forced birth control as a teenager has shadowed her entire life.

Breakdown
  • Thousands of Greenlandic Inuit women were subjected to forced birth control by Danish doctors. 38s
  • The program involved the insertion of IUDs, often without the women's knowledge or consent. 31s
  • Many women experienced lifelong health and psychological issues as a result. 51s
  • Denmark's Prime Minister has issued an official apology for the program. 57s
  • 143 Greenlandic women are suing Denmark for compensation over the forced procedures. 1m 26s
Women's RightsCrimeRace & Ethnicity