By Amelia Nierenberg,Jeffrey Gettleman,Maya Tekeli

Copyright smh

Bronlund is 18 years old and came from a home with a history of abuse. So Danish authorities subjected her to an extensive parental competency test that is intended to protect children but has been criticised as a harsh overreach into family life.

She is also Greenlandic, and Greenlanders have long complained that these tests are unfair. A recent study found that Greenlandic children born in Denmark are five times more likely to be taken away from their parents compared with other children in Denmark.

Denmark, which controls Greenland as an overseas territory, has tried to address this. Earlier this year, while Bronlund was pregnant, the Danish parliament voted to modify how the parenting tests were applied to Greenlandic families.

But for reasons that still remain unclear, Bronlund wasn’t treated as the new law requires, which local officials have described as an “error”. An appeals hearing is scheduled for Tuesday.