A joint Greenlandic‑Danish inquiry found that about 4,000 women and girls, some as young as 12, were subjected to the program, which the Danish government originally designed to lower birth rates and family sizes on the island.

The bill was passed roughly a year after Denmark’s prime minister publicly apologized for the historic birth‑control program, acknowledging the trauma it caused.

Eligible women will receive a one‑time payment of about 64,000 Canadian dollars, although some Greenlandic politicians say the apology and compensation arrived too late.

The Danish action is being watched by Indigenous groups in Canada, who hope it will encourage the Canadian government to issue its own apology and compensation for similar forced sterilizations.

As Naaja Nathanielsen, a Greenlandic member of the Danish parliament, said, the legacy of the program still affects women today, showing that official apologies combined with financial redress can help societies confront painful pasts.