Denmark's Child Removal Policy Deemed Unlawful

Danish Court Rules Child Removal Illegal A Danish high court ruled on Friday that the removal of a newborn child from a Greenlandic mother by Danish authorities was illegal, violating international Indigenous rights conventions. The Western High Court found that the confiscation of Keira Alexandra Kronvold's daughter, Zammi, two hours asourceser birth in November 2024, breached Kronvold's fundamental legal rights under the International Labour Organization (ILO) Indigenous and Tribal Peoples' Convention of 1989.

The court also determined that the psychometric tests used to justify the removal were outdated.

This ruling, while not directly leading to the reunification of Kronvold and her daughter, who is now 18 months old and in foster care, marks the first time a Danish high court has addressed such a case. The decision is expected to have significant implications for other Greenlandic parents in Denmark who were separated from their children based on similar assessments, potentially allowing them to challenge past decisions. Denmark ratified the ILO convention in 1996.

The Danish government had previously banned the controversial parental competency tests for individuals of Greenlandic background in May 2023, following years of criticism and international pressure. The high court's judgment adds to increasing scrutiny on Denmark's child welfare practices concerning its Indigenous population, with the United Nations also raising concerns about potential ethnic discrimination in Kronvold's case.