The Danish government has taken a significant step by offering a formal apology to the thousands of individuals with disabilities who endured mistreatment in state-run facilities dating back to the 1930s. These acts of abuse included forced sterilizations and sexual assaults.
Social Affairs Minister Pernille Rosenkrantz-Theil conveyed the government’s heartfelt apology during a gathering of approximately 50 survivors of this dark period in the western city of Horsens on Monday.
She acknowledged the state’s failure to adequately oversee these facilities, stating, “The state had an obligation of oversight, and did not sufficiently do its job. In the name of the Danish state, in the name of the government: Sorry.”
Rosenkrantz-Theil went on to emphasize that what transpired was wholly inconsistent with Denmark’s values and principles, asserting, “What happened to you is far below the Denmark we believe in. We will never forget what happened to you –– and what happened to you will never happen again.”
Reports have it that between 1933 and 1980, approximately 15,000 children and adults with various disabilities, including blindness, epilepsy, and physical or mental handicaps, were confined to these institutions under the pretext of societal protection, as revealed by researchers who examined their cases.
Danish law mandated sterilizations for psychiatric patients from 1929 to 1967, and they were required to obtain authorities’ permission to marry until 1989.
An inquiry initiated by the previous Danish government in 2020 uncovered a disturbing pattern of abuses within these facilities, encompassing not only forced sterilizations but also instances of violence, psychological and sexual abuse, and significant deficiencies in medical care.
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