Today, five times as many children from Greenlandic families in Denmark are placed outside the home compared to children from Danish families. This is shown by a 2022 report by VIVE (The National Research and Analysis Center for Welfare in Denmark).
In 2023, a report from VIVE pointed out that caseworkers in Danish municipalities lack knowledge of Greenlandic culture and language, and that this can lead to misunderstandings and prejudices.
At the same time, there has also been criticism of the use of the so-called parental competence studies (FKU) in placement cases of Greenlandic children. This is because the tests are adapted to Western culture and norms.
In March 2023, the Danish government allocated 7.8 million kroner over three years for new parental tests and guidance in cases of possible placement of children from Greenlandic families in Denmark.
This happened after negotiations in which the Greenlandic parliamentarians, Aaja Chemnitz and Aki-Matilda Høegh-Dam, demanded money for new tests. Originally, the new tests were to be ready by the end of 2023.
The Danish government has instead initiated a preliminary study that will form the basis for the work of developing new tests. The preliminary study is to be completed by the end of 2024.
In June, the Danish Institute for Human Rights called on five Danish municipalities to stop using FKU tests in placement cases of Greenlandic children.
Danish municipalities may no longer use controversial parent tests, which are used to test parents in placement cases in Denmark, on Greenlandic parents.
This is stated in a press release from the Minister of Social Affairs of Greenland.
The forced placement of children with a Greenlandic background in Denmark has meant a lot to all of us in our society. It is the use of the highly criticized non-culturally adapted tests and thus misleading tests that have formed the basis for the forced placements in several cases.
- The Danish Minister of Social Affairs and Housing has today promised me that she will send a letter to the municipalities to stop the use of the highly criticized tests. Discrimination against Greenlandic families must be stopped, writes the Minister of Children and Youth, Aqqaluaq B. Egede (IA), in the press release.
The controversial tests, known as parental competence studies, have once again come back on the agenda after more than 200 people took to the streets in Nuuk and Copenhagen earlier this month to demonstrate against the use of parental tests.
On Friday, the Minister For Children and Youth Affairs Aqqaluaq B. Egede, and the Danish Minister of Social Affairs and Housing Sophie Hæstorp Andersen held a meeting on the matter, where it was decided that the tests may no longer be used on Greenlandic parents.
This happened after the Minister had issued a harsh criticism of Danish municipalities' use of the tests.
It is highly objectionable and unacceptable to use examination methods that do not take into account the origin of people. It has been clear for several years that the test used is not suitable for examining citizens of Greenlandic origin.
-The government of Greenland would strongly urge the Danish authorities to stop the use of psychometric tests and racial discrimination against Greenlandic parents, wrote the Prime minister, Múte B. Egede, and the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Aqqaluaq B. Egede, in the press release earlier this week.
The municipality of Copenhagen and the municipality of Esbjerg have chosen to follow the call. However, several Danish municipalities continue to use the tests in placement cases.
Most recently, a case in November this year in the municipality of Thisted has caused people to demonstrate in both Nuuk and Copenhagen. The case concerns a woman from Greenland who had her child forcibly removed after birth.
The tests in question are used to examine the parenting skills of parents in placement cases. However, the tests are developed based on Western norms and traditions. Therefore, it has sparked great criticism that the tests are being used on Greenlandic parents in Denmark.
Although the Danish Institute for Human Rights called on Danish municipalities to stop using the tests on Greenlandic parents in June, there are still municipalities that have used them.
In an interview with DR, Aqqaluaq B. Egede said that the Kingdom (of Denmark) is in serious crisis if "the scandal of the forcible removal of children without grounds is not resolved".
And it is a message that the Danish Minister of Social Affairs and Housing Sophie Hæstorp Andersen has now listened to.
I completely agree with my Greenlandic colleague that it must take place on a secure basis when children are forcibly removed. There is no doubt about that. That is also why the psychological tests of parents must never stand alone. In these serious cases, many professionals have often been involved before a decision is made, wrote Sophie Hæstorp Andersen in a written response to KNR earlier this week.
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