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Denmark’s drastic turnaround over Greenland

As a new Donald Trump presidency begins in the United States, Copenhagen and more specifically Greenland have been making more headlines.

As a new Donald Trump presidency begins in the United States, Copenhagen and more specifically Greenland have been making more headlines.
Gary M. PriorGetty Images

The Danish government has announced that Greenlandic families will no longer be required to undergo the ‘forældrekompetenceundersøgelse’ (FKU), a parental competency test used to determine whether parents are deemed fit to raise their children. While the test is reportedly easy to pass, it poses significant challenges for Greenlanders who are not fluent in Danish and includes cultural biases. Children can be removed from their parents if they fail the test.

Denmark change to parental test in Greenland

The test assesses parents on various aspects of their lives, including how they react to certain situations, their self-perception, whether they have any physical or mental health issues, their outlook on life, and their future plans. “The main test was developed based on Western norms, which can lead to misunderstandings and prejudice,” the Danish Institute for Human Rights has warned.

The data supports these concerns. According to a 2022 report cited by The Guardian, 5.6% of children of Greenlandic origin living in Denmark are placed in foster care, compared to just 1% of Danish-origin children. “The tests do not account for potential language barriers or cultural differences, putting Greenlandic parents at risk of being unfairly assessed in child custody cases,” explains Louise Holck, director of the Danish Institute for Human Rights.

Denmark, which oversees Greenland’s foreign and security policies, has now decided to eliminate the test. “Concerns have been raised about whether a standardized psychological test adequately considers Greenlandic culture and language. For this reason, the Danish government and the Greenlandic government have agreed to abolish the use of standardized psychological tests in cases involving Greenlandic families when evaluating parental competency,” stated the Danish government.

One particularly notable case was that of Keira Alexandra Kronvold, an Inuit woman whose child was taken away by authorities just two hours and fifteen minutes after she underwent the parental competency test following childbirth.

This decision from Denmark comes amid repeated expressions of interest from US President Donald Trump in controlling Greenland. Trump has cited Greenland’s strategic importance for global security due to its Arctic presence, which plays a critical role in future geopolitics and trade routes. Greenland is also rich in untapped minerals and rare earth elements, resources becoming increasingly accessible as melting ice exposes them gradually.

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