Publication of spiral report postponed: Another piece in the case

With all the attention that has been on Greenland in January, it may have easily slipped most people's minds that an important piece of work was awaiting completion at the end of the month.

The investigation into the human rights aspects of the spiral case, which the Government of Greenland initiated in 2024, was supposed to be completed by the end of January. However, the publication of the report is now postponed.

This is reported by naalakkersuisoq for business, raw materials, energy, the area of justice and equality, Naaja H. Nathanielsen (IA), to Sermitsiaq.

- We have received the expert group's report, but there is a process going on before we publish. Firstly, the expert group's report is in English and it needs to be translated.

- And then of course we have to start looking at whether there are things in it that we need to address, so it will be at least two months, I think, before we can publish the report, she says.

She explains that the Greenland Government has long known that the report would be submitted in English on January 31, but that there may have been a miscommunication regarding the fact that it would be published in January.

- There is also a process whereby it must be reported to the Greenland Government, who must take note of it, and I will be told where we stand in relation to its content, says Naaja H. Nathanielsen.

Pieces in a larger puzzle

Initially, the Greenland Government had announced that the investigation would be completed by September 2025 at the latest. But on September 9, the impartial investigation into the historical context of the spiral case landed. And that naturally delayed Greenland Government's own investigation.

- They (the researchers, ed.) asked to be delayed, because they were awaiting the second expert group's report with the historical report on the contraception case, and they needed many of the same sources, and they couldn't get access to them.

Naaja H. Nathanielsen understands that many are waiting for the report, which will shed light on the human rights aspects of the case and other rights that may have been violated.

She has slowly started reading it, but can't reveal any of its contents yet. And that's why it's hard to say what the next step will be.

- Now I haven't finished reading it, so it's a bit difficult for me to say what the next step will be, but if you're asking about the whole contraception thing, this is another piece in it.

- We have the historical analysis that came out in September. That was one piece. Now there is some more information coming out about the rights that may have been linked to the case. That is another piece, she says and continues:

- There have been apologies from both Mette Frederiksen and Jens-Frederik Nielsen, who is a third piece.

Naaja H. Nathanielsen also calls the compensation cases underway in Greenland and Denmark additional pieces.

- So I think the idea that we reach a point where everything is just finished, we are a long way from that. There will be a post-processing of this case for a long time yet, but the goal in the long term is that we reach a point where we can say, the case is now well-informed.

- I would say that we are in the midst of a really healthy process, and it is necessary, even though it will be hard. There is no way around it. It is like healing a wound, it takes time, says Naaja H. Nathanielsen.

Case processing for compensation is extended

On Tuesday, the Government of Greenland sent a press release stating that more women had applied for compensation for having an IUD inserted without consent after 1992 than they had expected. As a result, the case processing has been extended.

Naaja. H. Nathanielsen cannot yet say how many applicants there were. The allocation that the Greenland Government has included in the Finance Act was based on the 15 cases that the National Medical Board knew about in 2024.

- The fact that more women are applying confirms to me that there is a hidden number. We have probably known that all along, but it is perhaps also a small indication that the taboo is being broken, says Naalakkersuisoq.

- So for me, it's hopefully also an indication that there has been a general understanding and a personal understanding among these women that it wasn't their fault. That it's okay to demand your rights. It's okay to say that what happened wasn't right.

Naaja. H. Nathanielsen has previously explained that if there were more applicants than the 15 known cases, she would have to apply for additional funding at Inatsisartut. And that work is starting for her now.