Experimental children receive DKK 250,000 in compensation from the state

An apology to the experimental children has been followed by compensation from the Danish state.

In 2020, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen gave an official apology on behalf of Denmark to the so-called "experimental children" for the first time.

And now the apology is being followed up with 250,000 kroner to each of the six living Greenlanders.

This is stated by the Ministry of Social Affairs and the Elderly in Denmark.

The compensation comes after the six people filed a lawsuit against the Danish state, as they believed that the move to Denmark in 1951 was a violation of, among other things, their right to private and family life.

The case has ended with a settlement, with the state now paying out a quarter of a million kroner to each of the people.

- 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, says Social Affairs and Elderly Minister Astrid Krag (Social Democracy).

- I am happy that the six people will now receive compensation from the state, she says.

The experimental children 

The 22 experimental children were sent to Denmark from Greenland in 1951.

They had the main role in an educational experiment, where the goal was to make the children more Danish, so that they could return to Greenland as role models.

But when they came home to Greenland, they had forgotten their language and were no longer allowed to live with their families. Instead, they were placed in an orphanage in Nuuk. 

6 of the 22 are alive today. They are about 80 years old. 

The state rejected claims for compensation

In May last year, Social Affairs Minister Astrid Krag (S) refused to give compensation otherwise.

"Acknowledging the mistakes of the past is the key," she said.

But now the attitude is different.

The compensation covers a process in which a total of 22 Greenlandic children were sent from their families in 1951 and sailed to Denmark to be brought up in Danish. The purpose was to create a Danish-speaking elite that would benefit Greenland's development.

In an orphanage in Greenland

The children were aged four to nine years. But none returned to their families. Instead, they ended up in orphanages in Greenland and in foster families.

A large number of them have been traumatized by the experience, and several have later committed suicide.

In December 2020, an investigation of the entire process was published, which the Danish government and Naalakkersuisut are behind. 

The investigation placed responsibility on both Denmark and Greenland. The Danish state, Save the Children, the Danish Red Cross and the Greenland Council worked together on the experiment.