A/HRC/54/31/Add.1 assessment of public policies and progress towards the equal enjoyment of rights without discrimination.3 14. According to the Government of Denmark, the welfare state is based on equal access for all. However, the Special Rapporteur was informed by Inuit Greenlanders living in Denmark that, in practice, they faced significant administrative and institutional obstacles, as well as racism and prejudices, which prevented them from enjoying their rights. Inuit who arrive in Denmark often feel discriminated against in their encounters with the public authorities responsible for, inter alia, health care, unemployment, housing and the educational system. Despite the colonial history, there is little or no consideration of cultural and linguistic factors in the design of current Danish social policies. The Special Rapporteur was repeatedly informed by Inuit in Denmark that they felt like “invisible ghosts” and that they lacked representation and participation in the design of public policies that concerned them directly. 15. While the Government of Greenland assumed responsibility under the Home Rule Act for the fields of education, health care, labour, and housing – in practice, many Greenlanders are still obliged to seek education and specialised health care in Denmark (the latter at the expense of the Government of Greenland). Specialized medical care, assistance for persons with disabilities and tertiary education programmes remain limited in Greenland. 16. In Denmark, the responsibility for the administration of social services lies with its municipal authorities, which results in disparate levels of assistance for Greenlanders depending on which municipality in Denmark they reside in. Information on applicable laws and regulations is generally not available in Greenlandic, sufficient interpretation services are often lacking and social workers in Denmark do not receive culturally appropriate training on how to interact with Inuit Greenlanders, the majority of whom do not speak Danish as their mother tongue. 17. Access to justice and due process for Inuit is often restricted as information regarding laws and judicial procedures are not accessible in Greenlandic, and legal personnel lack knowledge of relevant human rights provisions regarding Indigenous Peoples. 18. Homelessness among Inuit Greenlanders in Denmark is estimated to be five times higher than for Danish-born citizens; however, no precise data are available. In 2022, approximately 9 per cent of persons in homeless shelters in Denmark were Greenlanders; this means that Greenlanders are vastly overrepresented, as they constitute less than 1 per cent of the population in Denmark. The Special Rapporteur met with Inuit who spoke of their experiences as homeless persons and of facing discrimination in the workforce in Denmark. 19. There are no precise statistics on the number of children from Greenland living in Denmark and whether they receive education in their mother tongue. Such education is only obligatory if there are 12 children from Greenland in a Danish municipality. Inuit Greenlanders told the Special Rapporteur that, in practice, their children were often denied mother-tongue education. 20. The Special Rapporteur was particularly disturbed to hear the experiences of several parents whose children had been removed by Danish authorities and who related distressing accounts of the challenges that they faced in seeking to maintain contact with their children and recover custody. Research published in 2022 revealed that Inuit children from Greenland were seven times more likely than Danish-born children to be placed in out-of-home care away from their parents.4 While the best interests of the child may provide legitimate grounds to remove certain children, the information received indicates that serious cultural biases exist in Denmark when Inuit parenting is assessed. The psychometric tests used have been developed primarily for Danish-born parents without being validated for the Inuit population, and without account being taken of the fact that results from Indigenous Peoples need to be interpreted in a manner that recognizes cultural diversity. Psychologists who have not been trained on how to conduct such tests in diverse cultural contexts risk misinterpreting the 3 4 4 CERD/C/DNK/CO/22-24, para. 5; and CERD/C/DNK/CO/20-21, para. 7. See https://menneskeret.dk/udgivelser/testning-foraeldrekompetencer-groenlaendere-danmark (in Danish); and www.vive.dk/da/udgivelser/boern-med-groenlandsk-baggrund-der-er-anbragt-idanmark-fra-danske-kommuner-ov9leyvn (in Danish). GE.23-13414