A group of 67 women from Greenland is seeking compensation from the Danish government, which during the 1960s implemented a campaign of involuntary birth control.

At least 4,500 women, some of whom were teenagers at the time, received IUDs without knowing it.

The Danish government was implementing a program to reduce the number of births among the indigenous population of Greenland.

A related investigation is expected to be completed in 2025, but the women, some of whom are in their 70s, are now seeking compensation of 300,000 kroner each.

Greenland, an autonomous region and constituent country of the Kingdom of Denmark, was a Danish colony until 1953.

The scale of Denmark’s campaign was revealed last year in a podcast published by Danish broadcaster DR.

National records showed that between 1966 and 1970 alone, IUDs were inserted into women, some as young as 13, without their knowledge or consent.

Greenland’s government estimates that, by the end of 1969, 35% of women in the territory who could potentially bear children had received IUDs, according to DR.

A commission set up by the governments of Denmark and Greenland to investigate the program is not due to deliver its findings until May 2025.

“We don’t want to wait for the results of the investigation,” said psychologist Naja Lyberth, who launched the compensation claim.

“We are getting old. The oldest of us, who had IUDs fitted in the 1960s, were born in the 1940s and are approaching 80. We want to act now.”

Ms Lyberth said in some cases the devices fitted were too large for the girls’ bodies, causing serious health complications or even infertility, while in other cases the women did not know they had the device until recently discovered by gynecologists.

She accused the Danish government at the time of wanting to control Greenland’s population size to save money on welfare. “It is already 100% clear that the government broke the law by violating our human rights and causing us serious harm,” he said.

The lawyer, Mads Pramming, representing the women, sent the bill to Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen’s office on Monday.

Last year, Denmark apologized and paid compensation to six Inuit who were removed from their families in the 1950s as part of an effort to build a Danish-speaking elite in Greenland.

Greenland has a population of just 57,000 and is both the largest island and the northernmost land area in the world.

The region has its own flag, language and prime minister, although the currency, judicial system, and foreign and security affairs are still controlled by Denmark.