Compensation on the way to six living Greenlanders who were sent to Denmark in 1951

sm.dk
25 February 2022

The state has entered into a settlement in a lawsuit brought by the six people.

In 1951, 22 Greenlandic children were temporarily sent to Denmark as part of a social experiment. The intention was to give them a Danish background and language as well as a better life. But as the experiment progressed, it also came to be about the children being able to return to Greenland to form a vanguard for the development in Greenland.

In December 2020, the Prime Minister gave an official apology for the failures the children were exposed to.

In December 2021, the six people sued the state because they believed that the move, among other things, was a violation of their right to private and family life.

Now the six people will each be paid a compensation of DKK 250,000 after the state has reached a settlement in the case.

Minister of Social Affairs and the Elderly Astrid Krag states:

The relocation of the children is a dark chapter in the shared history of Greenland and Denmark, and we must not close our eyes to that. What happened has had major negative consequences for the children, who lost their language, their cultural identity and the attachment to their families. Therefore, the Prime Minister's apology was completely appropriate, and I am happy that the six people will now receive compensation from the state."

- Astrid Krag