Thousands of Inuit women in Greenland are now eligible for financial compensation due to a long-standing Danish birth-control initiative that involuntarily inserted intrauterine devices (IUDs). This development has sparked hope among some Inuit women in Canada who also experienced similar treatment, prompting expectations for an apology from their own federal government.
The Danish government recently approved a bill allowing for compensation, approximately a year following an apology from the country’s prime minister regarding the historical birth-control program. 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, were subjected to forced sterilizations, often without their consent.
Naaja Nathanielsen, a Greenlandic parliament member in the Danish government, highlighted the enduring impact of this dark period on women throughout the country. She emphasized the significant trauma inflicted, leading to a shift in reproductive choices among women today, with many opting for abortions instead of alternative contraception methods.
The Danish government’s objective behind the program was to curb birth rates and family sizes on the island. Women who were part of the program and received IUDs are now eligible for a one-time payment of around $64,000 CAD. Despite the compensation, some Greenlandic politicians expressed dissatisfaction with the delayed response, underscoring that the apology came too late for many affected individuals.
In Canada, the recent actions by the Danish government have raised hopes that the federal government may follow suit. For decades, numerous Indigenous women across Canada underwent coerced and forced sterilization, with the practice persisting beyond the 1990s.
Cecilia Papak, an Inuk woman in Rankin Inlet, shared her experience of being coerced into sterilization in the late 1970s after being told by doctors that she needed a hysterectomy. She expressed disappointment in the government’s imposition on individuals’ reproductive choices and highlighted the fear-inducing nature of the coercion, leading her to accept surgery to prevent having more children.
Papak, reflecting on her experience, indicated that she likely would have expanded her family if not for the coercion. While the Canadian government has not yet issued a formal apology for the forced sterilization of Indigenous women, Papak remains hopeful that the Danish government’s actions will prompt Ottawa to address the issue and provide compensation.
The shared history of forced sterilization in both Greenland and Canada underscores the need for mutual learning and collaboration. Høegh-Dam emphasized the importance of countries exchanging insights and maintaining open communication to navigate this collective struggle and learn from past injustices on a global scale.