Danish task force to assist Greenlandic women seeking compensation in IUD coercion case

A special task force from Denmark will travel across Greenland this autumn to help up to 4,500 Greenlandic women apply for compensation after being fitted with intrauterine devices (IUDs) without their consent between 1960 and 1991, the Danish Patient Compensation Association announced.

The team—comprising a nurse-trained lawyer, a Greenlandic psychologist, an interpreter, and a retired judge—will hold informational meetings in selected towns and settlements. Their role includes assisting women with compensation claims and providing support for those retraumatised by the case. Two additional tours are planned for 2027, with the first round of visits beginning in late September at an estimated cost of 1 million kroner.

The initiative follows a December political agreement, formalised after Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen issued a public apology to the affected women last September. The agreement earmarks 300,000 kroner (approx. €40,300) per eligible claimant.

“[This] is a dark chapter in our shared history,” then-Health Minister Sophie Løhde stated when the deal was struck. “It has had severe physical and psychological consequences for the Greenlandic women involved, and it continues to affect perceptions of Denmark and the [Danish] Realm today.”

A parallel effort will assist Greenlandic women residing in Denmark. The task force’s establishment awaits parliamentary approval of the underlying legislation, which the government has pledged to expedite under its new policy platform.

One of the victims, Naja Lyberth, was 14 years old when she was fitted with an IUD against her will.