Danish PM moved by meeting with victims of forced IUD policy in Greenland

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen met Wednesday morning with five women affected by Greenland’s forced IUD policy in the 1960s and 70s, hours before delivering an official apology at the Katuaq cultural center. The meeting took place at Hans Egede’s House in central Nuuk and, according to local outlet Sermitsiaq, left a deep impression on the prime minister.

Frederiksen sat down with Naja Lyberth, Arnaq Johansen, Hedvig Frederiksen, Marie Louise Nielsen and Debora Kleist alongside Greenland’s premier and chair of Naalakkersuisut, Jens-Frederik Nielsen. Speaking to the press after the meeting, Frederiksen said Denmark’s apology is “the right thing to do” given the closely linked — and at times dark — history between Greenland and Denmark.

“I have thought a great deal about the apology. It is a sensitive subject and today I had the opportunity, together with Jens-Frederik Nielsen, to sit with a group of the women who are affected, and it makes a very, very strong impression,” Frederiksen said. “Especially the account that some of the girls were 12 years old when it happened. They had no idea what was going on around them and it has had major consequences for some of them.”

Frederiksen reiterated that Copenhagen is prepared to establish a reconciliation fund that could include compensation, though the size of any payouts and eligibility criteria remain under discussion with Naalakkersuisut. She also signaled openness to a possible truth and reconciliation process, saying that facing difficult chapters of the past can support a more equal relationship between Greenland and Denmark.