Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen on Wednesday (September 24) formally apologised for the role of past Danish governments in the forced sterilisation of thousands of young Inuit women and girls in Greenland.Her public apology in Nuuk, Greenland’s capital, comes two weeks after the Danish government concluded a two-year investigation and released an explosive report detailing the extent of the scandal.Frederiksen had previously announced plans for a “reconciliation fund” to compensate the victims, as well as payouts to other Greenlanders who had been “subjected to failure and systematic discrimination”, but details are awaited.The apology also comes at a crucial time, with Denmark making overtures to its province amidst US President Donald Trump’s stated ambition to annexe it. Here is everything you need to know.Findings from the reportThe report, released on September 9, relied on medical records, historical documents and personal testimonies, with 210 of the 349 documented cases exhibiting health complications.It revealed that Danish doctors had inserted intrauterine coil-shaped contraceptive devices, or coils, into Greenlandic girls as young as 12 years old without their knowledge or consent. Some women claimed that they had been left infertile for life after they were administered injections. Further, doctors refused to intervene when victims complained about severe pain, leading some victims to remove the coils themselves.While the report itself documented cases between 1960 and 1991, the practice is believed to have continued well into the 2000s.Story continues below this adIn June 2021, Greenlandic women’s magazine Arnanut reported that about 4,500 Greenlandic women and girls had been fitted with the coil device between 1966 and 1970. This constituted half the province’s population of women of fertile age at the time.Also Read | Greenland ‘covert influence ops’ linked to Trump: Why Denmark summoned US ambassadorAbout 150 Greenlandic women, who were affected between 1966 and 1970, sued Denmark last March for collective damages of up to 43 million Danish kroner ($6.8 million) for violating their human rights. Their case was built on the findings of a 2022 podcast titled “Spiralkampagnen” (Coil Campaign), which initially set out to investigate the magazine’s claims.According to the report, a contraceptive injection was used on some women, adversely affecting their menstrual cycles, and even stripping them of the ability to conceive. While it concluded that the measures amounted to violations of Danish and international law, the matter needed to be addressed in court.Denmark’s population control campaign in GreenlandGreenland was a Danish colony between the 18th century and 1953, after which its status changed to that of a province. However, Greenland would attain autonomy from Denmark only in 1979. In 2009, the province was given extensive self-rule powers. Today, it has its own local government, but has two representatives in the Danish parliament.Story continues below this adThe podcast found out that the forced sterilisation campaign was introduced as Denmark’s “modernisation” plan for Greenland, which it introduced in the 1960s. While Greenland benefited from better healthcare and a quality of life, the province saw a demographic explosion, recording 1,674 births against a population of 37,600 in 1964.According to the podcast, the high birth rate, especially the burgeoning incidence of teenage pregnancies, drew the concern of the Danish authorities. The campaign proved to be a “success”, with the number of births being almost half by 1970. The birth rate continued long after, with Greenland’s fertility rate sinking from seven children per woman in 1966 to 2.3 in 1974.Greenlandic officials said that the campaign continued even after Greenland took over administrative responsibility in the early 1990s. While the provincial government has apologised for its role, many citizens view the campaign as continued colonial treatment by the Danish.Earlier this week, Danish authorities apologised for and reversed a decision to separate a Greenlandic Inuit mother from her baby, an hour after childbirth. The development also highlights the controversial “parenting competence” tests, which detractors accuse of being racist and discriminatory towards the Inuit people, and were outlawed this May.Story continues below this adThe BBC in December 2022 reported that the practice of involuntary contraception had continued well into the last decade, with contraceptive implants and injectables used on women without their informed consent.Denmark’s efforts to keep Trump awayThe developments may present a chink in the Danish government’s renewed outreach to Greenland, amidst Trump’s campaign this year to attach Greenland to the United States.The US has long held a geostrategic interest in the province. Greenland is home to American military bases established under the US’s defence agreement with Denmark in 1951. The Pituffik Space Base, formerly the Thule Air Base, in Greenland allows the US to monitor and prevent any missile coming towards it from Russia, China, or even North Korea. It may also launch missiles and ships towards Asia or Europe easily from Greenland, following renewed military cooperation between China and Russia in the Arctic.Greenland also has a vast repository of rare earth minerals, extensively used in mobile phones, electric vehicles and other consumer electronics, as well as in bombs and other weapons. China is currently the leading supplier of these minerals. In 2021, Greenland passed a law banning uranium mining.