The colonial scars of Greenland

Many of these women and girls were not informed about the purpose or implications of the procedures that they were obliged to undergo. Some were children as young as 12 years old. For the women affected, the consequences were devastating. Stripped of their reproductive autonomy, many Greenlandic women endured a deep sense of violation and developed a long-standing mistrust in medical practitioners.

Another blight on Denmark’s colonial legacy in Greenland was a social experiment that was introduced in the 1950s. During that time, the Danish authorities introduced a programme where indigenous children were removed from their families in Greenland and sent to Denmark. 

Framed as an effort to modernise Greenlandic society, this enforced re-settlement aimed to create a new generation of “model Greenlanders” who were fully assimilated into Danish culture. Many children were promised better education and opportunities, but what they experienced instead was cultural dislocation and emotional trauma.

Once in Denmark, the children were placed with Danish foster families, were forbidden from speaking their native Greenlandic language and were taught to see themselves as Danish. When these children eventually returned to Greenland, many felt estranged from their families and communities, unable to fully reintegrate into Greenlandic society. The experiment created a generation of individuals who felt rootless and disconnected from their heritage.

The revelations of Denmark’s policies in Greenland, which persisted into the late 20th century, have ignited outrage and a growing independence movement on the world’s largest island, which is home to about 57,000 people. At the heart of this movement is the fierce recognition that the colonial treatment of Greenlanders was not just misguided but dehumanising.

More than 140 women have sued the Danish government seeking compensation for being forced to undergo painful contraceptive procedures. Each of them has won 300,000 kroner (€40,000) in compensation.

Naja Lyberth, a psychologist and women’s rights activist, was one of those women. Lybeth, and the other women in the lawsuit, are declining to speak to the press at this time, but in December she told a UN conference: “Our uterus, which is our most sacred internal organ, should be untouchable and it is our human right to have the right to have children and start a family”. 

She continued: “It was forbidden to fight back and speak up. I faced significant challenges when I encountered a Danish doctor, who was an authority. My entire upbringing in my culture made it almost impossible for me to fight against the doctor or flee from the doctor.”

When Greenland’s prime minister Múte Egede addressed the nation at New Year, he discussed the country’s relationship with Denmark – and independence. He said that Denmark’s relations with Greenland had not created full equality. The island deserved to represent itself on the world stage.

“It is now time to take the next step for our country,” said Egede. “Like other countries in the world, we must work to remove the obstacles to cooperation, which we can describe as the shackles of the colonial era and move on.”

“The desire for independence in Greenland is not new, in fact, it has been there for decades, particularly since the late 1970s when home rule was obtained,” said Dr. Javier Arnaut, head of the department of Arctic social science and economics at Ilisimatusarfik, University of Greenland. “In recent years, a decolonisation movement has gained traction because of the unveiling of historical injustices.”

According to Søren Rud, a history professor at the University of Copenhagen, several factors have pushed independence to the top of the agenda in Greenland. Among those, he says, is “an increased interest in the historical relationship – inspired by social movements such as Black Lives Matter – which has brought new attention to the injustices of the colonial past. For example, the IUD campaign has stirred anger in Greenland and unease with the current relationship between Denmark and Greenland.”

Work has already begun to create the framework for Greenland as an independent state. The current self-rule agreement was brokered between the two countries in 2009, and it stipulates that Greenland can opt for independence following a referendum.

The drive for independence is being driven on by a growing sense of the cultural gulf that exists – and has always existed – between Greenland and Denmark. By way of example, Rud cites the Danish municipalities’ use of tests “to measure parent competencies in cases where children are forcefully moved from their homes.”

“These tests have not been adjusted to Greenlandic culture, and Greenlandic parents have, therefore, been judged by a western standard,” said Rud.

A greater number of Greenlanders now want independence than ever before and in recent years, Greenland has moved toward greater self-governance. In 2009, the island achieved expanded autonomy under the Self-Government Act, gaining control over its police force, judicial system, and natural resources. However, complete independence remains a complex and contentious issue. While many Greenlanders yearn for sovereignty, the island is still economically dependent on Denmark, particularly in terms of subsidies and infrastructure. Despite its rich mineral resources, Greenland receives an annual subsidy of around €500m from Copehnagen.

“Greenland has had full control of its natural resources since 2010,” said Arnaut, at the University of Greenland. “Yet, independence would allow Greenland to negotiate directly with other countries through bilateral trade agreements.”

Some Greenlandic political parties believe Greenland’s mineral wealth could reduce the country’s dependence on Denmark’s annual block grant. 

“The question is whether Denmark would be willing to uphold some of the financial responsibilities, perhaps in a period of transition,” said Rud.

Yet the question of independence goes deeper than economics: it is about reclaiming identity, dignity, and agency after centuries of colonial oppression. For many Greenlanders, breaking free from Denmark is a necessary step toward healing the wounds of the past.

Denmark has made gestures toward reconciliation. In 2022, the Danish government issued an official apology for the 1950s social experiment, acknowledging the harm it caused to the children and their families.

The current Danish government, led by prime minister Mette Frederiksen, has shown an openness to dialogue and has reaffirmed Greenland’s right to self-determination.

“Right now, the Danish government’s position has been to insist that the Greenlandic politicians should speak for themselves,” said Rud. “This is a wise strategy, given that one of the main problems, seen from Greenland, has been the lack of influence.”

Donald Trump’s recent comments about wanting to take possession of Greenland have brought these issues to even greater prominence.

“For purposes of national security and freedom throughout the World, the United States of America feels that the ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity,” he stated, in December. That typically brash statement had unintended consequences.

“The comments,” said Arnaut, “have inadvertently amplified local calls for indigenous self-determination. This has prompted local politicians to leverage the country’s strategic position and resources.”

“Most Greenlanders are aware that a ‘takeover’ from the US is out of the question. Instead, it is seen as an opportunity to show Denmark and the world about Greenland’s role in international affairs and political and economic self-determination.”

The story of Denmark and Greenland is not just a tale of colonialism but a cautionary reminder of the enduring harm caused by cultural erasure and systemic inequality. The scars left by policies like the involuntary birth control campaign and the 1950s social experiment are not relics of a distant past but wounds that continue to shape people’s lives.

Greenland’s minister of justice and equality, Naaja H. Nathanielsen, has been overseeing the probe into those sterilisations. “We want to uncover whether there have been violations of human rights legislation and the rights of indigenous peoples, as they appeared at the time,” she told Greenlandic media KNR late last year. 

“And we also want to investigate whether there has been a collective trauma that has affected us as a society. We must remember that the women in the IUD case also have families and partners throughout their lives. And that can affect society.”