UN warns Denmark: Treatment of Greenlandic mother may constitute ethnic discrimination

The United Nations (UN) has warned Denmark that the treatment of a Greenlandic mother, whose newborn child was taken away by Danish authorities based on controversial parental fitness tests, "may amount to ethnic discrimination," the British newspaper The Guardian reports today.

Keiri Alexandra Kronvold's daughter Zami was taken from her two hours after birth and placed in foster care in November 2024, after Kronvold underwent what she called the FKU psychometric tests of parental competence. She was told that the test was to determine whether she was "civilized enough."

On Friday, Kronvold, whose case sparked widespread outrage and contributed to Denmark's subsequent decision to ban the use of such tests, will appear before the Danish High Court in the latest attempt to regain custody of her child.

She is believed to be one of dozens of Inuit women living in Denmark who remain separated from their children after undergoing discredited tests.

In a move that will increase pressure on Copenhagen, it has now been revealed that Rem Alsalem, the United Nations (UN) special rapporteur on violence against women and girls, has written to the government demanding answers to questions about the treatment of the Kronvolds and other families of Greenlandic origin.

Alsalem, who wrote the letter together with the UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and the Special Rapporteur on Contemporary Forms of Racism, said on Thursday that she and her colleagues had reason to believe that "human rights violations had been committed."

Denmark ruled Greenland as a colony until 1953 and, despite the Arctic island now having largely autonomous status, people of Greenlandic descent in Denmark say they continue to face systemic discrimination.

The FKU tests, which activists have criticized for years as culturally inappropriate for Greenlanders and other minorities, were seen as a particularly striking example of this before the Danish government suddenly abolished them in May last year.

In a letter sent late last month, UN officials said they expressed concern about "the disproportionate impact of the FKU assessment on Greenlandic parents, which may constitute ethnic discrimination."

Alsalem added: "While we welcome the decision that such tests will not be used for Greenlandic parents in the future, those who have been subject to decisions made based on the FKU assessment should have access to justice and legal remedies."

A year after the law was changed, Kronvold is still separated from her daughter, who is now almost 18 months old and living with a Danish family. She is only allowed to spend short periods of time with her daughter, under supervision.

UN officials said the decision to deprive Kronvold of her children without her consent "may be discriminatory and disproportionate", pointing to "a clear disregard for her decisions regarding childbearing and contraceptive choices over the years, which has clearly caused her enormous psychological suffering".

Alsalem said: "In this regard, we recalled the fact that indigenous women and girls are often exposed to a multi-layered and complex spectrum of interrelated human rights violations, including in the context of sexual and reproductive health and childbirth services. Such intersecting forms of discrimination and violence experienced by indigenous women and girls also undermine their spiritual and cultural lives and strike at the very core of their family units and the social fabric of their communities and peoples."

Alsalem said she would monitor the outcome of the Kronvold trial and how Danish authorities respond before deciding on further steps.

"In the meantime, I hope that the authorities will give due attention to the concerns we have raised, especially regarding Denmark's binding human rights obligations," she added.

For Kronvold, the consequences of separation from Zami were devastating.

"I'm not allowed to be connected to my daughter the way I should be as a mother. She has to connect with her foster parents and it hurts me so much that she calls them mom and dad," she said.

Kronvold hopes her case and the UN's intervention will lead to change for her and other Greenlanders who have been separated from their children by Danish authorities. The FKU tests, she said, should be "erased" and the law changed to better protect Inuit.

Kronvold's lawyer, Janet Gjeret of the law firm "Stage", which specializes in children's rights, said that the proceedings before the High Court were symbolic and could help other parents in Greenland.

"There are many parents who are in the same situation, so we want the High Court to consider the case and see: was this, or the use of the tests, right or wrong?" said Gjeret.

Denmark held parliamentary elections in March, and the parties have not yet formed a government.

In response to a request for comment, the Danish Ministry of Social Affairs confirmed that the UN letter had been received, but added: "Denmark is currently without a government and cannot respond to the inquiry at this time."