The Danish government apologized on Monday September 11 to people who suffered acts of mistreatment in public specialized institutions where they had been placed due to a physical disability or behavioral problems.
“The state had (…) a duty of control and has not done its job well enough”declared the Minister of Social Affairs, Pernille Rosenkrantz-Theil, in front of around fifty victims still alive who had made the trip to Horsens. “On behalf of the Danish state, on behalf of the Danish government, sorry. »
Between 1933 and 1980, some 15,000 visually impaired, hard of hearing, epileptic, mute, physically or mentally handicapped children and adults were placed in such centers for varying lengths of time. The time was not about protecting patients’ rights, it was above all about protecting society against them, explained researchers specializing in the subject.
Between 1929 and 1967, the law imposed the sterilization of psychiatric patients; and until 1989 they had to obtain special dispensation to marry.
In 2020, the previous government launched an investigation into the care of people who had been interned, which revealed serious failings and abuses in the centers, including forced sterilizations, sexual and psychological violence and abuse as well as serious deficiencies in medical care. “What happened to you is far from the Denmark we believe in. We will never forget what happened to you. What happened to you will never happen again”assured the minister.