Greenlandic women's compensation victory in enforced IUD fitting scandal

Victims of Denmark’s IUD scandal, in which thousands of Greenlandic women and girls were forcibly fitted with contraceptive coils without their knowledge or consent, have claimed victory in their legal fight with the Danish government after it was confirmed they will be eligible for compensation.

- Miranda Bryant

The Danish parliament, Folket-inget, and the government reached an agreement on Wednesday that entitles about 4,500 Greenlandic women to claim 300,000 DKK (£35,000) each from a reconciliation fund.

The announcement comes after a three-year battle by 143 women who filed a lawsuit demanding the same figure in compensation for the pain and suffering they had endured as a result, which they said was a violation of their human rights. Denmark ruled Greenland as a colony until 1953 and retained control of its healthcare system until 1992.

In September, after years of failing to acknowledge the violations, Denmark made an official apology to the women. The prime minister, Mette Frederiksen, said she was sorry for the “systemic discrimination” against women and girls by the Danish healthcare system, who had been subjected to “both physical and psychological harm” because they were Greenlandic. Greenland’s former prime minister, Múte B Egede, has described the IUD scandal as a “genocide”.