Expert reports address historical forced contraception campaign in Greenland

Two expert reports released on Friday concluded that a decades-long campaign of forced contraception in Greenland violated women's human rights, though it did not meet the legal criteria for genocide. Between 1966 and 1991, at least 4,000 Greenlandic women and girls—some as young as 12—were fitted with intrauterine devices or given contraceptive injections, often without their consent or knowledge. The reports confirmed that these actions breached the fundamental right to respect for private and family life and, in several instances, constituted degrading treatment.

A 2025 joint Danish-Greenlandic inquiry previously established that the primary intent behind these measures was to reduce birth rates and family sizes. Danish authorities at the time sought to elevate social and health standards in the Arctic territory of 57,000 people through these policies. The long-term physical consequences for many victims included severe infections, heavy bleeding, permanent scarring, and infertility. While the experts reached a consensus on the human rights violations, they remained divided on whether the practice should be classified as systemic. This latest analysis follows ongoing efforts to address the historical trauma inflicted upon the indigenous population during this period.