Greenland: UN Experts Urge Truth and Remedy in the Forced Contraception Case

Summary

On 7 October 2026, in Geneva, a group of United Nations human rights experts issued a statement on the case of Greenlandic Inuit women and girls who were fitted with intrauterine devices, or IUDs, without their knowledge or consent over a period of decades. The experts said that truth, remedy and accountability must remain centred on the rights of Inuit women.

The statement followed the publication of a dissenting report by two former members of an expert group appointed by the Government of Greenland, known as Naalakkersuisut. This report summarizes the experts' public statement and the context set out in the related inquiry reports.

Background: The Expert Group

According to the final report of the Expert Group, it was appointed by Naalakkersuisut and began work in December 2024. Its task was to examine the human rights aspects of alleged instances of involuntary contraception in Kalaallit Nunaat, the Greenlandic name for Greenland, since 1960, and to determine whether and to what extent human rights and international law had been violated, taking into account the rights of Indigenous Peoples, collective rights and trauma.

The group originally had four members. Two members left in the final weeks of its work. The final report, published in August 2026, was written by the two remaining members, Dalee Sambo Dorough and Miriam Cullen. As reported by Reuters on 28 August 2026, their report found a reasonable basis to believe that Kalaallit Inuit women had suffered involuntary contraceptive practices that violated their rights to equality and non discrimination, to non interference in private and family life, and to freedom from cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment.

The Dissenting Report

The two former members prepared a separate report. According to the UN experts, that report concludes that there are no empirical grounds to assume that Danish or Greenlandic authorities, including the chief medical officer, pursued a policy of intentionally and systematically inserting IUDs without consent at any time during the period studied, nor that any authority sought to limit population growth.

The UN experts said that this report casts doubt over the campaign of forced contraception endured by thousands of Greenlandic Indigenous Inuit women and girls in public care institutions. They expressed concern about its conclusions.

Earlier Findings of the Special Rapporteur

The statement recalled that during a visit to Denmark and Greenland in 2023, the Special Rapporteur on the rights of Indigenous Peoples received reports directly from Inuit women who had IUDs inserted without their knowledge or consent, including while they were children. The Special Rapporteur's subsequent thematic report to the Human Rights Council documented serious and lasting physical and psychological consequences. It also stressed the need for affected women to participate meaningfully in truth seeking and accountability processes.

The Experts' Recommendations

The experts urged the Governments of Denmark and Greenland to address the full range of violations described in the reports. They pointed to reproductive violence beyond forced contraception, including forced adoption and the removal of Inuit children from their parents without free, prior and informed consent.

They called for comprehensive reparations developed in consultation with affected women, and for measures to prevent recurrence. The experts said that the courage of Inuit women brought these violations to light, and that their dignity, voices and rights must remain at the centre of all efforts toward truth, justice, healing and reconciliation.

Who Issued the Statement

The statement was issued by Albert K. Barume, Special Rapporteur on the rights of Indigenous Peoples; Reem Alsalem, Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls; Ashwini K.P., Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance; and members of the Working Group on discrimination against women and girls, namely Claudia Flores (Chair), Ivana Krstić (Vice Chair), Dorothy Estrada Tanck, Haina Lu and Laura Nyirinkindi.

Taskforce Note

The Global HR Taskforce will continue to monitor the response of the Governments of Denmark and Greenland to the inquiry findings, including reparations and the participation of affected Inuit women. Sources: statement of UN experts, Geneva, 7 October 2026, published by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights; Final Independent Report into the Human Rights Aspects of Contraceptive Practices in Kalaallit Nunaat Since 1960, published by Naalakkersuisut, August 2026; Reuters, 28 August 2026.