Denmark Pm Apologises Over ‘physical And Psychological Harm’ Caused By Iud Scandal

Denmark’s premier minister, Mette Frederiksen, has apologised for nan first clip for nan forced contraception ungraded successful which thousands of Greenlandic girls and women were fitted pinch contraceptive coils without their support aliases knowledge.

Describing it arsenic “systemic discrimination” against women and girls successful nan hands of nan Danish healthcare system, Frederiksen said that because they were Greenlandic they were subjected to “both beingness and psychological harm”.

Some of nan women were arsenic young arsenic 12 erstwhile they opportunity they were fitted pinch an intrauterine instrumentality (IUD) by Danish doctors successful an effort to trim nan organization of Greenland, which until 1953 was a Danish colony and only gained power of its ain healthcare strategy successful 1992.

It is believed that 4,500 women and girls were affected betwixt 1966 and 1970. Greenland’s erstwhile premier minister, Múte B Egede, has described nan IUD ungraded arsenic a “genocide”.

Denmark’s apology for cases up to 1992 – made successful a associated connection pinch nan Greenland premier minister, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, who apologised for cases aft that day – comes up of nan publication of a long-awaited investigation into nan IUD lawsuit which is expected to beryllium published later this month.

Separately, 143 Greenlandic women past twelvemonth sued nan Danish state for 43m Danish kroner, alleging they were fitted pinch nan contraceptive coil without their consent aliases knowledge successful what they picture arsenic a usurpation of their quality rights.

Frederiksen said: “Even though we do not person nan afloat picture, it makes a awesome belief connected nan authorities that truthful galore Greenlandic women unanimously study that they person been subjected to maltreatment by nan Danish healthcare system.

“We cannot alteration what has happened. But we tin return responsibility. Therefore, connected behalf of Denmark, I would for illustration to say: Sorry.”

She added: “I apologise to nan girls and women who person been subjected to systemic discrimination. Because they are Greenlanders. For experiencing some beingness and psychological harm. For being fto down.”

Nielsen said that connected behalf of his authorities he apologised “for nan harm and maltreatment that whitethorn person been inflicted connected respective women aft we took complete work for our healthcare system.” His government, he said, has been moving connected a compensation strategy for nan affected women since January and that an announcement connected really to use will beryllium made soon.

Naaja H Nathanielsen, Greenland’s curate for justness and gender equality, said: “An apology is only fitting and I judge it was unavoidable successful bid to move guardant connected a way of healing. So I americium very pleased by nan apology but I besides couldn’t spot immoderate measurement astir it.

“The apology is directed astatine nan girls and women who were connected nan receiving extremity of an unacceptable believe pinch a clear colonialist profile. I besides judge a compensation is successful spot from nan danish state.”

Aaja Chemnitz, a personnel of nan Danish parliament for nan Greenlandic statement Inuit Ataqatigiit (IA), said she was elated by nan outcome, which she has been campaigning for for a agelong time. “An apology is important for a renewed narration betwixt Greenland and Denmark,” she said. “What a joy.”

Bula Larsen, 1 of nan group of women who person sued nan authorities for their historical mistreatment, said she was “very pleased” to yet person an apology. “It gives maine bid successful my mind to yet adjacent this acheronian section successful my life,” she told nan Guardian.

Larsen, who is now 66, was 14 erstwhile she was told by nan caput of her dorm successful Paamiut, Greenland, to spell to nan infirmary without explanation. She has told really she remembers nan daze and “tremendous pain” erstwhile a expert forcibly fitted her pinch an IUD.

The experience, she has previously said, felt for illustration an assault. The symptom was specified that afterwards she said it felt arsenic if she had “shattered solid successful my abdomen”. As an adult, aft she sewage joined and tried to get pregnant, she recovered retired she had been near sterile by nan procedure.

But immoderate questioned nan timing of her apology, which came hours aft Denmark summoned nan US complaint d’affaires for an urgent gathering complete an alleged power run successful Greenland aimed astatine shaping nationalist sentiment and nan early of nan Arctic territory.

The authorities has antecedently said it will hold until nan result of nan investigation earlier it issued an apology.

But Denmark, Frederiksen said connected Wednesday, recognises that nan lawsuit is “a root of some anger and sadness for galore Greenlanders and galore families successful Greenland. And it people has an effect connected nan cognition of Denmark and nan realm.”

The authorities expects to person nan findings of nan investigation into nan ungraded soon, she said, aft which nan governments of Denmark and Greenland will activity together to “learn from and woody pinch nan actual consequences of nan acheronian chapters successful our shared history”. She said this would besides screen “possible financial compensation” for victims of nan IUD ungraded and “other circumstantial cases”.

She said: “This is very important work. We must go much knowledgable astir our communal past. Not because we tin alteration it. But because we must admit it. And study from it.”

She besides referred to “other acheronian chapters that woody pinch systemic favoritism against Greenlanders. Because they were Greenlanders” from Denmark’s assemblage past. “My apology connected behalf of Denmark is besides an apology for these different failures for which Denmark is responsible,” she added. “Where Greenlanders person been systemically treated otherwise and inferiorly than different citizens of nan kingdom.”

There is besides an master group that has been requested by nan authorities of Greenland to look into imaginable quality authorities violations successful relationship to nan IUD scandal. This is owed to beryllium finalised successful January.