A young Greenlandic mother has been left heartbroken after Danish officials seized her newborn baby just an hour after birth, despite a new law banning the controversial parenting competence tests used to justify the removal.
The young mother, 18 year old Ivana Nikoline Brønlund, who was born in Nuuk and has represented Greenland in handball, gave birth to her daughter, Aviaja-Luuna, on August 11 at Hvidovre Hospital near Copenhagen. Within an hour, the infant was taken into foster care.
“I didn’t want to go into labour because I knew what would happen afterwards. I kept my baby close while she was in my stomach: that was the closest I would be with her. My heart is so broken, I don’t know what to do without her.”
Brønlund says she has only seen her daughter once since, for a single hour, under supervision. She was not allowed to comfort the child or even change her nappy.
The case has caused outrage because Danish officials relied on FKU psychometric tests to assess Brønlund’s parenting ability, even though such tests were outlawed in May for families with Greenlandic backgrounds. Critics, including human rights groups, have long argued that the tests are racist and culturally biased against Inuit parents.
The Høje-Taastrup municipality, which ordered the removal, argued Brønlund was “not Greenlandic enough” for the new protections to apply, despite her being born to Greenlandic parents. Officials said the decision was partly based on trauma she suffered at the hands of her adoptive father, who was jailed for sexually abusing her.
Denmark’s Social Affairs Minister Sophie Hæstorp Andersen has demanded answers.
“Standardised tests should not be used in placement cases involving families with a Greenlandic background. The law is clear.”
The case has sparked protests in Greenland and Denmark, with more demonstrations planned in Reykjavík and Belfast. Campaigners called the removal “horrifying” and accused officials of punishing Brønlund for her past trauma, reported The Guardian.
“This feels so wrong to punish Ivana for something she is not responsible for,” said activist Dida Pipaluk Jensen, who is organising a protest outside the Danish embassy in Iceland.
Brønlund’s appeal will be heard on September 16. Until then, she is allowed to see her baby only once a fortnight for two hours.
For many Greenlanders, the case is seen as a chilling reminder of historic discrimination, fuelling demands for urgent political action.
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