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NUUK, Greenland — Amarok Petersen was 27 when she finally learned the devastating reason she could never have children — and the truth left her shattered.
Doctors discovered an intrauterine device implanted in her body without her knowledge. It had been inserted when she was just 13 years old by Danish medical staff, part of a now-infamous population control program that targeted thousands of Indigenous Greenlandic girls and women.
“I will never have children,” Petersen said, her voice trembling with anger and grief. “That choice was taken from me.”
Denmark formally apologized last year for decades of forced sterilizations, but for many Greenlanders, the damage runs far deeper — and far beyond a single policy. As global powers once again eye Greenland’s strategic value, Inuit voices are rising to say what they’ve long believed: Denmark has never truly protected them. Instead, it has controlled them.
‘They Don’t See Us as Human’
This week, Danish forces hosted European military exercises in Nuuk, framing the drills as a show of protection against foreign interests — particularly renewed attention from the United States after former President Donald Trump again floated the idea of buying the island.
But to many Greenlanders, the message rings hollow.
“The Danes don’t see us as humans,” Petersen said at a small Inuit restaurant overlooking Nuuk’s fjords. “They think we are too expensive, too few. Yet they take our land, our children, our lives — and expect gratitude.”
Denmark announced compensation for victims of forced sterilization in December, offering roughly $46,000 per woman. Petersen calls the payment insulting.
“They destroyed generations,” she said. “And now they say, ‘Here — be quiet.’”
‘Greenland Is Not for Sale’ — But Not Free Either
Danish officials frequently insist that “Greenland is not for sale.” But many locals say the slogan hides a deeper reality: Greenland is still governed by Denmark — not Greenlanders themselves.
That imbalance was on full display recently in Washington, where Denmark’s foreign minister dominated talks with US officials, while Greenland’s own representative barely spoke.
“It was colonial,” Petersen said. “You could see it in his body language. He didn’t want her to speak.”
While Greenlanders overwhelmingly reject becoming part of the US, they also reject the idea that Denmark should continue speaking for them.
“If Denmark truly believed Greenland belongs to Greenlanders,” Petersen said, “they would let us decide our own future.”
Trapped by Poverty and Neglect
That lack of control extends into everyday life.
Karen Hammeken Jensen moved to Nuuk hoping for better opportunities for her children. Instead, she lives in a decades-old government apartment plagued by mold, poor insulation and high rent that eats up most of her income.
“These buildings were built for Inuit,” Jensen said. “And then forgotten.”
Denmark often points to subsidies as proof of generosity, but Jensen says the system keeps Greenlanders trapped — with high costs, low wages and little chance to build wealth.
“There is no balance,” she said. “Pay versus cost never works in our favor.”
‘It’s Our Fish — Why Doesn’t the Money Stay Here?’
Nowhere is the inequality more obvious than in fishing, Greenland’s most vital industry.
Veteran fisherman Elias Lunge said Greenlanders do the hard labor while profits flow elsewhere.
“We catch the cod,” he said. “Then it’s frozen, shipped out, processed abroad — and sold for much more.”
In some settlements, fishermen earn less than $2 per kilo, while the same fish sells for far higher prices once exported.
“It’s our fish,” Lunge said. “Why shouldn’t the money stay here?”
The Human Cost of Colonial Rule
Behind the numbers are lives shaped by trauma, addiction and despair — conditions many Greenlanders link directly to colonial policies.
Greenland has one of the highest suicide rates in the world, with researchers estimating around 81 deaths per 100,000 people each year.
“They took our resources. They took our bodies,” Petersen said. “And then they told us to thank them.”
Speaking out, she insists, isn’t anti-Danish — it’s necessary for healing, change and independence.
“We never colonized anyone,” she said. “We never stole children. We never sterilized another people. But they did that to us.”
‘They Talk About Our Land — Never to Us’
Greenlanders remain divided over when and how independence should happen. But many agree on one thing: the current system cannot continue.
US interest in Greenland, uncomfortable as it may be, has exposed how little autonomy the island truly has.
“At least it forced the conversation,” Petersen said. “That was never allowed before.”
For her, independence isn’t about choosing between Denmark or the US — it’s about dignity.
“We are only 55,000 people,” she said. “If someone truly cared, this would already be fixed.”
Instead, she said, Greenland remains spoken for — but rarely listened to.
“They talk about our land,” Petersen said quietly. “They just never talk to us.”
