A group of 67 women from Greenland are seeking compensation from the Danish government over a campaign of involuntary birth control in the 1960s.

A program aimed at limiting birth rates among indigenous women fitted coils to at least 4,500 women, some of them teenagers.

Some of the women, who are in their 70s, want compensation now, even though an inquiry is scheduled to conclude in 2025.

A total of 300,000 kroner ($34,880; $42,150) is sought by each defendant.

The Danish colony of Greenland existed until 1953, when it became a semi-sovereign territory.

In a podcast published by Danish broadcaster DR last year, the scale of the campaign was revealed.

According to the national archives, intrauterine devices (IUDs) were fitted into women, some as young as 13, without their knowledge or consent between 1966 and 1970 alone.

Greenland’s government estimates that, by 1969, 35% of women who would have been able to have children were fitted with an IUD.

Danish and Greenlandic governments set up a commission to investigate the program, but its report isn’t due until May 2025.

“We don’t want to wait for the results of the inquiry,” says psychologist Naja Lyberth, who filed the compensation claim.

Our oldest members, who had IUDs implanted in the 1960s, were born in the 1940s and are approaching 80. We want to act now.”

The devices fitted to some girls caused serious health complications or even infertility, while in others the devices were unknown to the women until they were discovered by their gynecologists recently.

In order to save money on welfare, the Danish government at the time wanted to limit the size of Greenland’s population.

There is no doubt that the government has broken the law by violating our human rights and harming us,” she asserted.