Greenlandic adoptees sue Denmark for millions

Children adopted from Greenland to Denmark from the 1950s to the 70s are demanding compensation from the Danish state for questionable adoptions. Lawyer Mads Pramming, representing four adoptees, has filed a compensation claim of one million kroner against the state. He has prepared to sue if the state refuses to pay. Pramming continuously receives contacts from more adoptees and the group seeking compensation may grow. He claims these adoptions were approved by the state without parental consent. Stories of questionable adoptions were especially highlighted in the 1960s. Alfred Dam, a former social chief in Greenland, described Danish officials acting as intermediaries in these adoptions. One of the claimants, Margrethe Johansen, adopted in the early 1950s, reconnected with her birth mother around 40 years later, stating she was taken away without her mother’s true consent, losing her family, language, and culture.