A group Greenland's former “experiment children”, who were forcibly housed with Danish families as part of a social research project in the early 1950s now seek compensation from Copenhagen.
A total of 22 Greenlandic children, aged four to nine, were sent to Denmark, where they were to learn Danish and be retrained as a kind of elite Greenlanders as part of a larger experiment. Upon return, they were to act as a kind of spearhead in the Danish colony administration's development plan for the Greenlandic society, which was at the time seen as “backward”.
After one to two years in Denmark, the children returned to Greenland. Still, however, they were not reunited with their respective families, but instead sent to orphanages, where they were only allowed to speak Danish.
After one to two years in Denmark, the children returned to Greenland. Still, however, they were not reunited with their respective families, but instead sent to orphanages, where they were only allowed to speak Danish.
Today, only six of the “experiment children” are still alive. Now, they're demanding DKK 250,000 ($38,000) each in compensation from the Danish state. A letter has been sent to the Prime Minister's office. If the Danish state refuses to pay up, they are ready to go to court.
“Throughout their childhood, their families and identity have been taken away from them. No thought has been given to whether this was really beneficial for the children. The best interests of the children have completely disappeared from that experiment”, lawyer Mads Pramming told Danish Radio. “This is impossible to make it up in money. I personally think the reimbursements are far too low, but it is based on court practice,” he added.
Almost a year ago, the “experiment children” received a long-awaited apology from Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen on behalf of the Danish state.
“We cannot change what has happened. But we can take responsibility and apologise to those we should have taken care of, but failed,” the written apology said, among other things.
For Greenlander Kristine Heinesen, the apology is about more than a possible compensation. According to her, admitting the huge mistake was an important step. However, she argued that a personal meeting with the survivors is in store.
Fellow “experiment kid” Gabriel Schmidt is also disaffected.
“Is that the way to say sorry after they took my childhood? No, I do not think that is enough,” he said. For him, the reason to demand compensation is to invite his family to Greenland “before I leave this Earth”. “It does not repair me, but it can make my family happy,” he concluded.
Earlier this year, in a somewhat similar case also led by Mads Pramming, the so-called Godhavn boys, received DKK 300,000 ($45,000) each in compensation for abuse they had suffered the Godhavn orphanage from 1946 to 1976.
Greenland, the world's largest island, is also the most sparsely-populated territory in the world with a population of only 56,000. Known for its inhospitable climate and a severe lack of infrastructure between isolated coastal settlements, it was a Danish colony until 1953 and became a semi-autonomous territory after gaining home rule in 1979. However, despite having broad autonomy, Greenland remains part of the Danish Realm, with its culture and daily life heavily influenced by the Danish culture and language, and is heavily dependent on an annual subsidy of DKK 3.5 billion ($530 million).