‘Like torture, like rape’: Greenland urges Denmark to confront its dark past • FRANCE 24

Since the first victim account went public five years ago, Denmark's forced contraception scandal in Greenland has snowballed. The territory is urging its former colonial power to acknowledge the widespread trauma. "It has violated a number of human rights," says Naja Lyberth, a survivor of a campaign which, between the 1960s and 1990s, forced more than 4,500 Inuit women to wear a contraceptive coil.
#Greenland #Denmark #torture
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[@basicallyno1722]

The 60’s all the way up to the 1990’s? This isn’t really the distant past at all.

[@Jetmab04]

Exactly - and, it did not stop in the 90's but, is still on-going, more than ever 😢

[@PATCARSON-l6v]

You can never right the wrongs of the past but you can acknowledge that they happened and that they were shameful.

[@annab9994]

Exactly!

[@erinscruggs5838]

You must acknowledge the past to be proactive for the future of yourselves and others!

[@AminaPhilosophy]

You can pay reparations.

[@Somebody-Somewhere-]

Of course you can, for starters, you can pay reparations, give back land etc.

[@sonyasutton64]

Yes, you can.

[@elle7739]

Civilized Europe had attempted to civilize other parts of the world. They thought they were civilized. What an irony!

[@curtislowe195]

Meanwhile the top 10 most dangerous countries are all brown and black majority countries lolololol...you are savages in the 2000s whining about what white people did in the 1800s

[@lullaby218]

The Crusaders were freeing s|aves captured by pagans, and then those ex-s|aves proceeded to join the Crusaders.

[@lullaby218]

An example would be Martin von Golin who was ens|aved by pagans. Once liberated by the Crusaders he felt it his mission to free others.

[@lullaby218]

It is thanks to Christianity that the meek could inherit the Earth. And it is thanks to lack of Christianity that the meek are being pushed to the bottom again.

[@lullaby218]

And m|ss|onar|es did not take anything from the people. They only afforded privi|eges to those of them who chose to follow Chr|st such as food, education, medicine, etc.

[@Johannarb]

Never heard of this before. It is horrific!

[@vincentmahon6423]

Denmark must make a full disclosure and release all State papers and medical records relating to these practices. Immensely sorry that any woman / child was subject to these barbaric acts.

[@TroelsNybo-j2t]

"Denmark must..."? No foreign nation can force Denmark to do anything. No citizen in any foreign nation can force Denmark to do anything. We have a legal system in Denmark. I assume that it will handle this case according to Danish law. I am certain that the case will be followed closely by Greenlanders and Danes. Foreigners are welcome to comment. But they cannot enforce anything upon us.

[@abdullahal-mamun1053]

@@TroelsNybo-j2tcalm down

[@TroelsNybo-j2t]

@@abdullahal-mamun1053 You cannot intimidate me, so I suggest that you stop trying.

[@abdullahal-mamun1053]

@@TroelsNybo-j2t 💀💀💀

[@Remember1977]

@TroelsNybo-j2t Denmark must adhere to human rights law, Denmark does interfere with other countries and condemn human right violation but you get upset when people condemn atrocities commited by your government on poor indigenous girls. Shame on you. You can't hide your crimes. The United nations and all concerned people should get involved and make sure these indigenous people get their rights. Denmark should be sanctioned.

[@amywright2811]

1990s. Not much of a past.

[@AFireBirdPhoenix]

Every ever colonized nation should do a documentry on such atrocities done to them by their colonizers , leading to almost entire globe put to shame .

[@rachellandry3116]

it's pretty much already happened. you're utilizing the tech that makes it so... but eyes must see... and "hearts" must feel.......

[@tomsmith5488]

Its not only coloniser but any power at be. Atrocity is the human's forte.

[@33PhP]

@AFireBirdPhoenix: What about african women who gets mutilated by their own sisters????This is not colonialist behavior for your info!!!! Now, what these finland women did suffer is no excuse neither.

[@Orbt_]

@@33PhPYou sound offended.

[@milkmoonlight93]

Same happened in colonial France outer sea territories : even forced abortions !

[@LiamBrannelly]

Perpetrated by one of the "happiest nations on the planet." Sick.

[@TroelsNybo-j2t]

AFAIK no Dane has ever suggested that our nation is perfect. And that "happiness" ranking is not made by us.

[@werewolfcountry]

⁠@@TroelsNybo-j2t not “no Dane”. Because I’ve definitely met Danes that lean into it.

[@TroelsNybo-j2t]

@@werewolfcountry Thanks for correcting me. This is the first time in my 70+ years, that I have been presented with such an idea.

[@TroelsNybo-j2t]

Oh, and I forgot to mention, that these acts were not perpetrated by a nation. The entire idea of collective guilt is an act of psychological warfare.

[@sleepydoctor4344]

Turning a blind eye to injustice also makes you guilty.

[@Heavilymoderated]

The horror show never ends. Things aren’t really getting better. Powers are always so slow to acknowledge the wrongs of the past because they see it as a slippery slope. Like, if we acknowledge the past, we might also get forced into admitting all the horrible things we’re doing now.

[@TroelsNybo-j2t]

And there is another aspect: All of us, nations, smaller groups and individuals meet accusations that may cover the entire range from very fair to very unfair. It's difficult to handle the entire range. My Danish nation is used to being praised by many outsiders for the things that we do fairly well. We are also used to receive insane criticism from fascists. We need to have very open ears and minds for all the REALISTIC criticism. Not least from Greenlanders.

[@ThatFijianGuy]

What is wrong with this world! How were we led to do these terrible things to one another!

[@comealongcomealong4480]

@ThatFijianGuy Because the human species invent and create new tools, new technologies. And then set about finding profitable uses for the new thing! Whether it's a gun, other machinery of war, agricultural pesticides and fertilizers, commercial scale animal farming and fishing. On and on and on we go, creating catastrophic harm to our planet, and fellow humans. Edit: one post in this thread says that Denmark was making use of medical sterilizations from at least 1929.

[@user-ho7me9dd5y]

Civilization...

[@asbisi]

Right....

[@TroelsNybo-j2t]

Mother Earth has a skin disease.

[@07Flash11MRC]

No, this was càpítálì$m.

[@TroelsNybo-j2t]

We, the Danes, need to acknowledge our collective past as a nation. All of it. All aspects of it. Right from the first beginning of our nation until today.

[@daleenalberts5829]

They will NEVER do it.

[@TroelsNybo-j2t]

@@daleenalberts5829 Many of us will.

[@imadbelkacemi3347]

And when will France confront its dark past in Africa?

[@curtislowe195]

When will Africa apologize to white people and relinquish their evil racist black supremacist system

[@TroelsNybo-j2t]

Ouch!

[@darkhorse811]

Exactly. The French are hypocrites.

[@annab9994]

That was a crime. It should be acknowledged as such by the Danish government. Excuses and compensation should be offered. And the necessary legislation changes need to be made to ensure that nothing similar would be possible in the future.

[@FreudsSlipper]

I think you meant *apologies* and compensation. Not more excuses... 🤔

[@justforgetaboutit5987]

A colonizer never apologizes but make excuses

[@FreudsSlipper]

@@justforgetaboutit5987 Very true indeed.... ...except that Ireland has managed to squeeze one single solitary *apology* out of their Colonizer - Britain - for one out of the many million atrocities & massacres: the second *Bloody Sunday.* Still nothing for the first Bloody Sunday! It was swiftly followed by a slap-in-the-face non-verbal statement that Justice will continue to be denied ("Legacy Bill"). Clearly Ireland has *no* Friend Nations in the whole World, because not 1 Nation in the whole entire world has ever, EVER, referred Britain to the International Court - before those uniformed *State* Soldiers (and the Paramilitary Terrorists & Police they colluded with) die of natural causes and old age. Bad enough no Justice for Ireland for the Centuries preceding the post-WW2 Int'l Court! But for the Civil Rights Movement from '60, '70s, and victims of Sectarian Apartheid Judiciary, Apartheid Policing, and Military State Oppression right into the '90s, to go without Justice.....it's not right.

[@detehoxa1126]

Denmark did that?! Denmark is preaching the humans rights to other countries or doesn't apply for Denmark?! The hypocrisi in West teaching the rest of the world about "human rights and demokracy" many times ives me speachless😡

[@TroelsNybo-j2t]

It may come as an uncomfortable surprise for you, but there are millions of Danes who knew nothing about this practice. Also, Denmark is not part of the "West", whatever that meaningless term is supposed to mean. We are Nordic.

[@minco04]

@@TroelsNybo-j2tYou’re part of the West

[@TroelsNybo-j2t]

@@minco04 Others are free to view the world like that. That's not my view. Not at all. I am European. I live on a small peninsula in Northern Europe. To the south is Central Europe and Southern Europe and the huge continent of Africa.

[@danicadabic9789]

@@TroelsNybo-j2t the term "West" is not a geographic term at all. It implies a set of values. Australia is also considered the "West" as is Japan.

[@TroelsNybo-j2t]

@@danicadabic9789 My own values are Nordic.

[@auntyshakira747]

1960s to 1990s. Thats recent. The painful trauma for these girls. And without parent consent? What.

[@justforgetaboutit5987]

Just because you have weapons and you are European doesn’t necessarily mean you are civilized.

[@wrsmith711]

never heard of this before....wow

[@writerconsidered]

Yes you have. You just didn't recognize the pattern. America, Canada, Australia. with forced boarding schools and maltreatment. This is an extension of that.

[@comic_food_guy]

The Evil that Men Can and Will Do

[@Cutestar6757]

How cruel and why

[@anthonynapier2887]

You are close enough to Canada to know that you should never live anywhere where another can't hear you scream... At what point do you blame a country and not your parents?

[@RowanoftheGreenwood]

They took a page right out of Canada’s book...

[@mr.mrs.d.7015]

The translation is too small

[@FreudsSlipper]

Probably intentional so. That's called one Europeans White Supremacist Nation "calling out" the other European White Supremacist Nation......without them *really* calling out their White Supremacist Peer.

[@nathantemple5173]

This was one of the countries the American democrats love to point to.

[@MariAmmaSar]

They would have done much worse to the Inuit men then. In all these atrocities, you see the Christian Churches being silent or playing ignorant.

[@christineholliday4564]

😭😭😭

[@TerezaCP]

What a surprise... All rich people got rich on other peoples suffering😢😢😢

[@juliuscesar4176]

But I thought the Danes were the nice ones!

[@mcleanroom7997]

Jesus!😢

[@katinkaraab1964]

I'm waiting for the britisch to acknowledge the crimes against the Irish and the Osman against eastern Europe. Or the Tunesian against Italy.

[@Somebody-Somewhere-]

THIS HAPPENED BETWEEN THE 60's and 90's! How very liberal of DK.

[@Remember1977]

Aahh Denmark who is supposedly the beacon of light for women's rights. Preaching to us uncivilised third world countries, I wonder what other dark secrets are there.

[@lovelylipbonesouwwwwwwwolv2198]

How have I never heard of this before ?

[@TroelsNybo-j2t]

It's difficult to keep informed about everything. And this is one of those stories where both the victims and the perpetrators for very different reasons may have been unwilling to speak up.

[@jdmmg4904]

❤

[@lamusica1592]

😭

[@kasondaleigh]

Shame on Denmark! This history of abuse and the recent arrest of the whaling activist are two EXCELLENT REASONS TO BOYCOTT DENMARK. I won’t be traveling there or buying Danish products.

[@professionalboycottservice7872]

It's more shame to breed and have your kids commit suicide later in life. Look up Greenland's high suicide rates.

[@Einherjar-DK]

Your own country also practised forced sterilization of Native American women

[@33PhP]

Kason. Don't buy neither chinese product, indian product (India..in case you don't know who are the Indians), Asian product, Muslim product, African product, cause women and men there suffer also. Which means not to be superficial, but natural, not materialist, and don't spend your money and send it to the poor on this planet. How about that.

[@daniellatanswell3990]

Men must f*cking go! End of story.

[@kasondaleigh]

Not all men, but it’s always men.

[@lemon1657]

It's always them because they're in charge in every country. Maybe we should start a ♀️ country. Can you imagine the safety? We could walk home at 4am in swimwear and arrive safe and sound. We could fall asleep anywhere and everywhere and worst case, your wallet might be missing. Wait, what am I describing? Current male privilege. Must be glorious.

[@ChujJebany9000]

Men have to get sterilized too

[@Ghostrex101]

Women are worse

[@pragueexpat5106]

As an Asian guy from Asia, I must say this story has nothing to do with me..

[@GoddessAthena_here]

✂️

[@caledoniawarrior]

I'm sure there is a lot more to the story like in order to keep living on welfare contraception was required to avoid raising an entire population on welfare paid for by Denmarks tax paying citizens. They were given a choice. Welfare or breed.

[@nolife9853]

iuds are not designed for small sized women/children. they cause immense pain, constant discomfort, make infections much more likely, etc. if they wanted to give contraceptives, the patients should have had a choice. also pills/shots are a much safer and less painful option. either way it should never be forced.

[@comealongcomealong4480]

@caledoniawarrior Your suggestions may well have been the drivers for this Danish Government Policy of FORCED contraception. Danish Economy ➡ Government Budget to spend on essential public services ➡ Identify which social groups are contributing taxes, and which social groups are a perceived 'burden' ➡ prevent further breeding in these communities. A Danish Government policy that persisted for some thirty years. /The Danish health authorities may already have been sterilizing females with disabilities, Downe Syndrome and intellectual impairment. This was widely practised in many, many countries - once the medical procedures, or contraceptives, were developed. Sterilization also became a political practice in countries like USSR and Communist China. Enforcing their 'One Child' population control regulations.

[@midcenturymoldy]

The video is talking about girls in their early teen years. There was no parental consent for it. There wasn’t even parental knowledge of it. Teenage girls do not make decisions about welfare. And even if they could make decisions about welfare, how could the girls make the choice you claim they were given when, as stated in the video, they weren't even told what the procedure was for? Half of those girls are now sterile. If the girls had been white you'd be flipping out and calling for heads to roll.

[@bigsister9354]

@@comealongcomealong4480wow, I’ve never heard of forced sterilisation of non-slavic women in USSR

[@comealongcomealong4480]

@@bigsister9354 I do apologize. My memory of this history - state controlled contraception, sterilization and forced abortions - in the former USSR is not detailed. In terms of When, Who, How Many, Why? etc. I only have recall that it was practised. Which fits in with state involvement in all aspects of their citizens' lives. I'd have to investigate further. Perhaps Female Prisoners were one target group (?). And perhaps you are correct, and there was an 'ethnic reduction' rationale. Thank you for replying.

[@AugustusCaligula]

Jw behind this report 😂

[@tomagoredo]

when is this self flagelating lunacy going to end

[@annab9994]

When the wrongs of the past will be admitted. To avoid the same stories in the future.

[@daleenalberts5829]

​@@annab9994 That will NEVER happen anywhere in the world.

[@comealongcomealong4480]

@tomagoredo You appear to know zero about how state sanctioned policies of forced sterilization have been used in many, many countries. Over many decades. Used in China to enforce their 'One Child Policy'. Used in the USSR. Widely used in past times to sterilize females with disabilities, Downe Syndrome and intellectual impairment. /It almost seems that as soon as the medical profession could perform the procedures, then human imaginations turned to what 'best use' could be made of this medical knowledge.

[@AnitaDil]

It was nothing like torture or rape, it was forced contraception. Which at that time was considered fine, it isn’t now. But please let’s not call it rape or torture, those words are for the real victims of these atrocities. That time has past, women all over the world still don’t have “women’s rights”. Fight for them too.

[@comealongcomealong4480]

@AnitaDil Shame on you minimizing this Danish government policy. I'd like to have seen you at a girls' school in the 1970s. Without your understanding or your parents' knowledge, 150 girls are sent to the school infirmary every year, for thirty years. These are 13-14 year olds who have started menstruation. Most of them would never have had an internal examination before that IUD Insertion Procedure. /You may not know that the early prototype IUDs were often injurious to a female's health. Causing extreme abdominal pain, cramps and excessive bleeding. Many, many women around the world have required full hysterectomies or died from the effects of these forms of contraception. And, as reported here, half of these 4,500 Inuit women were unable to have children as a result. Please try to check your comments in future. I do not deny your feelings about violations of women, but COMPARISONS serve noone.

[@athseymalone1342]

What absolute nonsense! Where is your brain, or better yet, humanity? At a minimum, this was torture, make no mistake.

[@spiritofmatter1881]

And do you believe these women did not go through those atrocities as well? They very likely did unfortunately. I agree with you those practices need to be abolished under all circumstances

[@ChefbyMistake]

Naja is an Arab name

[@midcenturymoldy]

Naja Origin and Meaning The name Naja is a girl's name of Arabic origin meaning "boy's younger sister; success; or silver hands". One of several similar feminine names often found in the Muslim world but also a Native American name. And in Greenlandic, Naja means "a boy's younger sister", which could be a sweet connection to a big brother. It's a relatively popular name in Denmark.

[@puzzled012]

hm, who is the colonist here exactly? Inuits came after "Viking" settlers, oh, and they wiped out a indigenous peoole that predated them in the Artic... some victims of colonization!

[@FreudsSlipper]

Yeh. Explain that one again *TO THE IRISH!!!* 🤨 The fact that Vikings were *Settlers* is your own admission that they were not of that land & were therefore *Colonialists.* Maybe not Monarchic or Empire Colonialists. But Colonialists nonetheless. 🇮🇪