Denmark to pay compensation to Greenlandic women for forced contraception

Denmark's parliament has approved compensation of 300,000 kroner ($46,730) for Greenlandic women who were subjected to forced contraception from the early 1960s until 1991 in order to control the birth rate on the island.

This was reported by the Ritzau news agency.

As member of parliament from Greenland Kasrok Høegh-Dam clarified, this compensation is only "the tip of the iceberg." "This is the least we can do," he said.

Greenlandic women who were subjected to forced contraception without their consent before 1991 have still not received compensation for damages. The campaign was launched in the 1960s to control the birth rate on the island. Contraceptive devices (intrauterine devices) were inserted in underage girls and in women after childbirth or termination of pregnancy — often without the consent or knowledge of the patients.

Claims against the Danish government were filed by 143 women who underwent this procedure without their consent. The total amount of the claims was 43 million kroner ($6.1 million).

Source: TASS