Forced contraception in Greenland violated women's rights, but not genocide, reports find

A campaign of forced contraception in Greenland between the 1960s and 1970s violated women's human rights but did not constitute genocide, according to two expert reports released Friday.

The reports found that administering contraception without valid consent breached women's right to respect for their private and family life and, in some cases, subjected them to degrading treatment. However, the experts differed on whether the practice was systemic.

An inquiry in 2025 revealed that at least 4,000 Greenlandic women and girls, some as young as 12, received intrauterine devices or contraceptive injections between 1966 and 1991, often without their consent or knowledge. Danish authorities at the time viewed this as a method to reduce birth rates and improve living standards in the Arctic territory.

Consequences for some women included heavy bleeding, infections, scarring, uterus removal, and infertility. In response to the findings, Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen announced the government will establish a reconciliation commission. "A reconciliation commission gives us the opportunity to look back at the darkness in our shared history, engage with it critically, and acknowledge the pain it may have caused," he stated, with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen welcoming the proposal.

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A reconciliation commission gives us the opportunity to look back at the darkness in our shared history, engage with it critically, and acknowledge the pain it may have caused.