A History of Separation
In 1951, 22 Inuit children were taken from Greenland to Denmark in an assimilation experiment. Its consequences affected their family ties, language, and cultural identity.
Read the historical background
Families • Culture • Children’s Rights
Family. Culture. Belonging.
Every family’s story deserves to be heard.
Native Equity Services
Standing With Inuit Families Affected by Forced Child Removal
Raising awareness of child removals affecting Greenlandic Inuit families in Denmark, sharing documented stories, and highlighting the importance of family connections, culture, and children’s rights.
Family connections
Inuit culture
Children’s rights
Why this matters
Understanding the Separation of Inuit Children and Families
Past assimilation policies and current debates over child welfare decisions have brought urgent attention to how Greenlandic Inuit children and families are treated.
Child Welfare Concerns Today
Greenlandic parents in Denmark have challenged child-removal decisions and parenting assessments criticized for not adequately accounting for language and culture.
Watch BBC reportingFamilies, Rights & Culture
Our focus is on elevating family stories, examining documented concerns, and encouraging informed discussion about children’s wellbeing, cultural understanding, and fair processes.
Meet our research teamFamily experiences and legal cases differ. The articles and documentary below provide independent reporting and historical context.
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Help Make Their Stories Heard.
Support Native Equity Services’ work to raise awareness, share family experiences, and research issues affecting Greenlandic Inuit children and families.
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Research & Advocacy
Research & Advocacy Team Profile
Frontline cultural healthcare leadership, forensic analysis, psychological evaluation, and legal research focused on protecting vulnerable families.
Mission Statement
Our research and advocacy team combines frontline cultural healthcare leadership with expert forensic, psychological, and legal analysis to combat systemic discrimination and illegal child removal practices in Denmark. We expose institutional bias, audit flawed case files, and provide rigorous, evidence-based assessments to protect vulnerable Greenlandic and immigrant families within the Danish legal system.
Cultural Liaison & Healthcare Lead
Karen Banke Petersen
- Background & Values: Born and raised in Greenland, Karen’s work is rooted in the foundational values of community, compassion, and mutual responsibility.
- Expertise & Leadership: Graduating as a Registered Nurse in 1997, Karen spent years on the frontlines of healthcare before rising to the roles of Head Nurse and Deputy Manager, successfully leading a department of 85 employees.
- Advocacy Focus: After relocating to Denmark in 2009 with her two young children, Karen identified a critical crisis: Inuit families routinely struggled to navigate a vastly different and alienating Danish system. She bridges deep communication, linguistic, and cultural divides, ensuring loving families are no longer penalized simply for communicating and parenting differently.
Forensic Case Auditor & Psychological Evaluator
Sharon Tomcko
- Background & Catalyst: Driven by a personal experience with family separation, Sharon witnessed firsthand the devastating impact of institutional discrimination, systemic law-breaking, and for-profit incentives within child welfare systems. Her observations revealed a disturbing pattern of legal trafficking of children in a first-world country, disproportionately impacting Greenlandic and immigrant families.
- Core Expertise: Sharon holds a comprehensive, multi-disciplinary background spanning forensic psychology, social psychology, public health, medicine, and Danish family law.
- Advocacy & Legal Evidence: Sharon systematically audits child welfare files to expose “phantom diagnoses”—unconfirmed mental health labels fabricated by social workers to incentivize child removal. Crucially, she conducts independent psychological assessments and professional observational reports of families. These rigorous evaluations serve as formal, vital evidence used directly in the Danish legal system to challenge biased state narratives and reunite separated families.
Current Focus
Core Research & Action Areas
Systemic Discrimination & Bias TrackingDocumenting and analyzing the high rate of forced removals and adoptions targeting Greenlandic (Inuit) and immigrant communities in Denmark.
Legal & Clinical File AuditingDeconstructing social work files to identify legal errors, procedural violations, and unauthorized medical or psychological profiling.
Evidence Generation for Family CourtsProducing legally defensible psychological evaluations and behavioral observations to give marginalized families a fair, scientifically backed voice in court.
Exposing For-Profit IncentivesInvestigating and raising awareness around the financial structures and private institutions that benefit from the institutional separation of children from their families.
About Native Equity Services
Our Work Is Rooted in Family, Fairness, and Cultural Understanding
Our research and advocacy work brings attention to the experiences of Greenlandic Inuit families navigating child welfare systems. We aim to make documented information more accessible and keep family stories and cultural context in view.
- Awareness and education
- Family stories and research
- Culturally informed perspectives
- Community connections
Family, culture, and connection
Learn about the families and communities at the center of our work.
Make a difference
Stand With Inuit Children and Families
Help us share documented stories and raise awareness of the importance of family, culture, and children’s rights.
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Get in Touch with Our Team
Have a question about our research, stories, or work? Send us a message.
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