September 5, 2026 is the first observance of the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Women and Girls. The UN General Assembly established the day in November 2025 to recognise the contributions of Indigenous women and girls and draw greater attention to the challenges they continue to face.
In Greenland, the new international day comes at a time when the country continues to address the legacy of the contraception case. Decades after thousands of Greenlandic women and girls were affected by contraception practices that have since become the subject of historical and legal investigations, several new developments took place only last week.
A history brought to light
The story dates back to the 1960s, when responsibility for Greenland’s healthcare system lay with Denmark. A publicly initiated contraception campaign began in 1966, expanding the use of IUDs and other contraceptives.
In 2022, Denmark and Greenland agreed to establish an independent historical investigation, the results of which were published in September 2025. According to the investigation, efforts to promote family planning were driven by concerns over the social problems associated with very high birth rates, large families and a growing number of very young unmarried mothers. The healthcare system viewed contraception as necessary to improve living standards and social and health conditions in Greenland.
The investigation found that at least 4,070 women had received an IUD by the end of 1970, equivalent to roughly half of Greenland-born women of reproductive age at the time. Drawing on historical records and testimony from 354 women about hundreds of contraceptive interventions, it documented cases involving inadequate information or consent, as well as physical and psychological consequences.
In August 2025, the Danish and Greenlandic governments apologised for their respective periods of responsibility.
New developments
The response has since moved beyond apologies. On August 27, 2026, the Danish parliament passed a law establishing a compensation scheme under which eligible women subjected to contraception without consent between 1960 and 1991 can receive 300,000 Danish kroner.
Apart from the historical investigation, the Greenlandic government appointed a separate four-member expert group to examine the case from a human-rights perspective, including whether the violations could meet the legal definition of genocide. The group brought together expertise in Indigenous rights, law and cultural psychology.
Professional disagreements emerged during the work, and the experts eventually divided into two groups that worked separately. This resulted in two reports with differing conclusions, published on August 28, 2026.
According to Reuters, which reviewed both reports, one concluded that there were reasonable grounds to believe that involuntary contraception infringed several rights of Greenlandic Inuit women. On the question of genocide, the authors said the required intent could not be established by examining contraception practices alone. They noted, however, that a court looking at a wider range of evidence might reach a different conclusion.
The second report likewise concluded that women had been subjected to wrongful treatment, but said that the extent of the violations could not be determined. Its authors found no evidence that authorities or health professionals intended to destroy the Greenlandic population and therefore did not consider the contraception practices to constitute genocide. An external academic review subsequently criticised the report for falling short of recognised scientific standards, an assessment the report’s authors rejected.
Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen has proposed a joint reconciliation commission with Denmark, an idea welcomed by Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen.
More than half a century after the contraception campaign began, its consequences continue to be examined through historical and legal investigations, compensation measures and reconciliation efforts. As the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Women and Girls is observed for the first time, the contraception case remains part of a broader discussion about the rights and experiences of Indigenous women in Greenland.
Dr. Yana Kirichenko, PolarJournal