For some Greenlanders, sorry isn’t enough.
The prime minister of Denmark, Mette Frederiksen, made a special visit Wednesday to Greenland’s capital, Nuuk, to apologize in person for a traumatic chapter in Greenlandic history, when Danish doctors forced birth control on a whole generation of indigenous Greenlandic women and girls.
Ms. Frederiksen has stepped up her efforts to repair relations with Greenland and address old wounds, ever since President Trump insisted that the United States take over Greenland, a gigantic Arctic island and a semiautonomous Danish overseas territory.
But the reception was mixed.
There were gray-haired Greenlandic women in the audience who had been victimized and silently weathered the ordeal for decades. Some wiped away tears. Others sat stone-faced. One woman painted black stripes on her face and stood during the speech with her back turned to Ms. Frederiksen, in protest.
“I know I cannot take away your pain or give back what you lost,” Ms. Frederiksen said. “But I hope it can stand as recognition that what you went through was wrong, that it was a betrayal, and that the responsibility no longer lies on you but on us.”
Some people at the event were suspicious about the timing, saying that the Danish government is apologizing only now that Mr. Trump has ratcheted up pressure over Greenland.
The post With Sobs and Doubts, Greenlandic Women Receive Apology for Forced Contraception appeared first on New York Times.
