The Danish ‘Coil Campaign’ in Greenland

This article analyses whether Denmark may have committed genocide against the indigenous population of Greenland by inserting intra-uterine devices into thousands of Greenlandic women and girls as part of a birth control programme in the 1960s and 1970s – the so-called ‘coil campaign’. This question is important for understanding of how genocide can be committed against indigenous peoples as part of colonial abuses. The article provides an in-depth analysis of genocide, focusing in particular on the prohibited act of imposing measures to prevent births, specific intent, and state responsibility. It then offers a critique of the so-called ‘Holocaust standard’, which perceives genocide as a time-intense mass murders committed by undemocratic, violent regimes and which often excludes indigenous experiences of genocide. Lastly, the article analyses Denmark’s obligations for truth, justice, and reparation. It concludes that, while more investigation is needed, it is possible that the coil campaign in Greenland may constitute genocide.