Thousands of Inuit women in Greenland are now eligible to receive financial compensation due to a long-standing Danish birth-control program that imposed intrauterine devices (IUDs) without consent. This development has instilled hope in some Inuit women in Canada who have also experienced similar mistreatment, prompting expectations for an apology from the Canadian government.
The Danish government recently approved a bill allowing for compensation, approximately a year after the country’s prime minister expressed regret 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 knowledge.
Naaja Nathanielsen, a Greenlandic member of parliament in Denmark, emphasized the enduring impact of this dark chapter on women in the country. She highlighted the trauma inflicted, leading to a prevalent preference for abortions over other contraceptive methods among women today, affecting not only the directly impacted generations but also those that followed.
The Danish government’s aim with the program was to lower birth rates and family sizes on the island. Women who were subjected to the IUD program are now entitled to a one-time payment of around $64,000 CAD. However, some Greenlandic politicians expressed disappointment at the delayed compensation, underscoring the urgency of addressing the issue promptly.
In Canada, there is optimism that the Danish government’s recent actions may prompt the Canadian government to take similar steps. Throughout Canada’s history, numerous Indigenous women endured forced and coerced sterilization, a practice that persisted beyond the 1990s. Reports indicate documented cases of imposed sterilizations in various provinces, linked to eugenics laws and policies aimed at reducing births in Indigenous communities.
Cecilia Papak, an Inuk woman from Rankin Inlet, shared her experience of being coerced into sterilization in the late 1970s, reflecting on the pressure from doctors to undergo the procedure. She expressed regret at feeling compelled to accept the surgery to avoid potential health risks, revealing that she would have likely had more children if not for the coercion.
While the Canadian government has yet to issue a formal apology for forced sterilization practices on Indigenous women, Papak remains hopeful that the Danish government’s actions will encourage Ottawa to follow suit with apologies and compensation. Notably, there have been class-action lawsuits filed in Canada, including several against the federal government, seeking justice for victims. In a significant move, forced and coerced sterilization was added to the Canadian criminal code in June.
Given the shared history of forced sterilization in Greenland and Canada, Danish parliament member Qarsoq Høegh-Dam stressed the importance of mutual learning and communication between the countries to address this common injustice and move forward collectively.
