Greenland, breaking the silence: The scandal of Denmark's forced contraception campaign

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REPORTERS
REPORTERS © FRANCE 24
From the show
Reporters
Reading time 1 min

In 1960s Greenland, thousands of young Inuit girls – some barely teenagers – were sent to hospital. Without giving an explanation or obtaining their consent, Danish doctors fitted them with IUDs, a painful procedure that left lifelong scars. In total, more than 4,500 Greenlandic women were victims of this mass forced contraception campaign orchestrated by the Danish authorities. FRANCE 24's Sarah Andersen met with victims now demanding justice. 

In this investigative report, Franco-Danish journalist Sarah Andersen sheds light on a policy of forced birth control commissioned at the highest level of Denmark's government that has left deep trauma in Greenland.  

From Greenland's capital Nuuk to the Danish capital Copenhagen, she brings us the moving stories of women who have long been silenced, and who are now demanding justice. 

Read more‘Like knives penetrating me’: Greenland’s victims of forced contraception seek justice

This documentary was awarded the 2024 Coup de pouce prize at France's Figra festival, with the support of CCAS and FRANCE 24.