Forced birth control in Greenland violated women's rights, experts find
Experts have concluded that a forced birth control scheme carried out in Greenland violated women's rights, though two separate reports could not agree on whether it amounted to genocide. A truth commission will now be established.
Two reports, one disagreement
Experts who examined a forced birth control scheme carried out in Greenland have concluded that it violated women's rights. The assessment was produced by two separate expert reports, which nonetheless failed to agree on one central question: whether the scheme should be classified as genocide.
While the two reports diverged on the genocide question, both were consistent in finding that women's fundamental rights had been violated through the forced birth control measures. That shared conclusion is seen as a significant step toward formal acknowledgment of what took place.
Truth commission to follow
Following the publication of the two expert reports, it has been decided that a truth commission will be established. Its task will be to further investigate the scope and consequences of the forced birth control programme, and to try to bring more clarity to the question on which the experts could not agree.
Truth commissions are typically set up to document historical injustices, hear testimony from those affected, and produce recommendations for further action, including possible formal recognition or reparations. Whether the scheme in Greenland will ultimately be legally recognised as genocide remains an open question, one that may depend on the work of the newly created commission.
