What seems like a porn movie gone bad is actually a sex education movie made by SexInuk, a Greenlandic sex education program. What the woman meant by "only with a condom you are alone in bed" is that if you choose to have unprotected sex, you not only have sex with your sexual partner but also with his or her sexual history. The video is an attempt to get the Greenlandic youth to use a condom, as the rate of STDs and unwanted pregnancies are extremely high in Greenland. The world's biggest non-continental island, known for its "magnificent scenery, clarity of light and raw power of nature" has an abortion rate higher than Pakistan. In other words, the abortion rate in Greenland is one of the highest in the world. Sadily, not many people besides Greenlandic inhabitants and Danish researchers are aware of this. "Journalists are not taking it up", the government employee says. She asks me not to write down her name as this topic is sensitive. "They are not asking the politicians or the decision-makers.There is simply silence."

The abortion rate in Greenland is high. Sky rocking high. With only 56,650 inhabitants, this huge arctic island of 1.8 million km² has a higher abortion rate than Pakistan. Pakistan, with a rate of 50 abortions on 1000 women in an age group of 15-49 years in 2012, has one of the highest abortion rates in the world. Greenland with a rate of 68 abortions out of 1000 women easily passes the rate of Pakistan. In Greenland, women have multiple abortions in their lifetime. Marianne Jensen, the Danish head of midwives in the Sisimiut health centre, speaks in 2012 to Belgian journalist/photographer Lieve Blanquart. "We have four abortions a week. We have more abortions than there are children born, you see? There is even a waiting list. It's so hard to change the mentality here. Birth control is free in Greenland. We do everything we can to inform people, especially youngsters, but it doesn't seem to work. Some women already have their fourteenth or sixteenth abortion." Her blue eyes fill with tears. "In Denmark, a situation like this would be unthinkable."

Although birth control is free, it doesn't seem to lead to a decrease in unwanted pregnancies. At the same time, there is an increase in sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) on the Arctic island. Not a coincidence, as "the prevalence of STDs is linked to the use of contraceptives" according to Lise Kragh Jensen, a consultant at the Greenlandic Government. Not using or wrongly using birth control leads to a high amount of STDs and unwanted pregnancies, which leads to a high abortion rate as abortion is legal and free in Greenland.

The root of both the unwanted pregnancies and the high amount of STDs lies in the wrongly or not applied birth control. Birth control is free in Greenland, so the high cost of birth control is not a border to use birth control. A possible explanation might be the fact that although birth control is free, it may not be accessible considering the geographic characteristics of Greenland. The population of only 56,650 inhabitants lives in small towns in ice-free coastal regions. Most of them are situated along the west coast. No roads are connecting the towns in Greenland, so people need to use ships, helicopters or planes if they want to go to other places. So would it be possible that birth control – although it is free- is not accessible as it might only be available in certain places such as hospitals?

The government employee dismisses the "accessibility theory" and claims that it would be too simple to explain the high abortion rate in terms of accessibility of birth control. "These are small communities, it's like a ten minutes' walk. It is not the accessibility, it is the decision to have sex without a condom anyway". Elizabeth Rink, professor at the department of health and human development at the Montana State University shakes her silver curls. "There are a lot of small towns where health care is not available. Also, in small towns, everybody knows each other. Would you, as a teenager, buy condoms at your uncle's shop? I don't think so".

Although further research still needs to be done, it is very likely that the social norms and behaviour among Greenlandic society towards sexuality is a crucial puzzle piece in this mystery. The way Greenlandic people act and think about sexuality should be seen in a bigger picture according to the government employee. "We have high rates of alcohol consumption, high rates of intake of cannabis and hash, high rates of suicide, high rates of neglect and violence." She sighs. "It's about a lack of care. It's a circle, a negative circle where we are in."

This so-called "negative circle" or intergenerational transmission is a characteristic of a phenomenon called historical trauma. Dr Maria Yellow Horse Brave Heart, associate professor, social worker and mental health expert has developed the model of historical trauma and describes it as a "cumulative emotional and psychological wounding over one's lifetime and from generation to generation following the loss of lives, land and vital aspects of culture".

She made the theory to explain the social problems of the Lakota people, a Native American tribe. This tribe is plagued by social problems such as high rates of suicide, depression, alcohol abuse, domestic abuse and sexually transmitted diseases. These social problems are a collective reaction on events that are hurtful to a community and often occur in a context of colonization. Genocide is an example of such an event. The consequences of historical trauma occur on three different levels: the personal, family- and collective level.

On a personal level, people suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), guilt, anxiety, grief and depression. At a familial level, it is harder to say, but impaired family communication and stress around parenting may occur. The last level where the effects of historical trauma occur is the community level. On this level, the historical trauma may include a breakdown of traditional culture, high rates of alcoholism, and physical illness and internalised depression.

All of this seems to refer to what the Greenlandic government meant when she answered: "it's a lack of care". The research that has been done on the historical trauma in AIAN community seems to explain the social problems of the current Greenlandic community. These people are descendants of the Inuit who are considered to be indigenous people. The colonisation phase of Greenland which began in 1721 and lasted till 1953 has left deep scars on each level of this society which leads to a lack of care that on its turn leads to many social problems.

The colonial past of Greenland shapes the current Greenlandic system that is being described by both Dr Rink and the government employee as a copy-paste of the Danish system. The colonisation of Greenland often described as "a process of cultural destruction of the pre-colonial, traditional Inuit culture", ended in 1953 after almost 230 years when Greenland became part of the Danish kingdom alongside the Faroe Islands.

These days, Greenland is an "autonomous constituent country of the Kingdom of Denmark". This means that Greenland is considered to be a part of Denmark, although it has autonomy in specific areas such as health.

The Greenland Home Rule was the first act that gave the Greenlandic people greater autonomy and was established after a referendum was held. In November 2008, 75% per cent of the Greenlandic voters voted in favour of the Self-Government Act. This act replaced the Home Rule on the 21st of June 2009, Greenland's National Day. The Self- Government act is the result of a period of political mobilisation of Greenlanders against the lack of political and cultural recognition by Denmark. Although the law gives Greenlanders more autonomy and states that Greenlandic and Danish parliaments are equal parties, the reality is different. Foreign policy, security and international agreements are all examples of political fields which are still under the authority of Denmark. Next to this, Greenland depends economically on Denmark as the Danish annual grants cover more than half of the Greenlandic government's public spending.

Nowadays, Greenland and Denmark have a somewhat uneasy relationship. Both try to navigate around the unresolved legacy of colonialism that is still causing many social problems today. Not only historical trauma, but also the current Greenlandic policy which is still controlled for a large part by Denmark is causing trouble. "These laws that we are using is Danish laws copied to Greenland. We are making it harder on ourselves with laws we can't use. It is the system that is failing and not the people", the government employee says. Besides the anonymous source and Dr Rink, nobody dares to speak up. It seems like the colonial past is a particularly sensitive topic that is treated like a hot potato. People are trying to pass it through before fingers get burned and if they dare to talk about it, they do it with extreme carefulness. Especially the Danish researchers. "I think I say this coming from my inner feeling of shame about this period", one of them says.

Sex education programs in Greenland such as the SexInuk programme in 2015, are they working? "No, because there aren't any", answers Dr.Rink firmly. "The SexInuk programme? That was a one-shot deal and based on a sex pilot of 15 years ago. What makes sex education programs in Greenland problematic is that they are designed on a Danish or Western model and do not take into consideration the culture and belief and values of Greenlanders." Proof for this statement is not hard to find. Besides the slightly different scene, a kitchen instead of a bedroom, there are hardly any differences. Why Greenlandic authorities copy the Danish system, is not clear. Are they influenced by the Danish government? Dr Rink says that this might be a case of internalised depression, which is the result of historical trauma on a community level.

"It often happens that oppressed people get educated and become aware of their rights. They empower themselves and are proud of their roots. At the same time, they identify with the former oppressor, in this case, Denmark." They struggle with inner conflict and feel insecure. The part that identifies with the western Danish ideas may lead to Greenlandic people using Danish ideas when trying to help out their people.

Mette Mørup Schlütter, PhD student at both the University of Greenland and Aarhus, says that the high abortion rate might have something to do with the way some Greenlanders perceive risk. "There sometimes is a narrative, where it is considered wise to not worry until risk becomes reality. When I discuss this with my students, they kind of have an attitude of "we deal with the consequences when the consequences become a reality".

This means that Greenlanders are less prone to obsess about the future and possible problems. Dr Elizabeth Rink nods. As an associate professor of the Montana State Univerity, she has done much research about the social, cultural and psychological influences of sexual and reproductive health among indigenous populations. "It's more a philosophy of life", she says. "You see that in all hunter cultures. They do not think linearly as westerners do. The only thing that exists is here and now. The good thing is that this makes Greenlanders less stress about things such as possible pregnancies. The bad thing is that this doesn't make people use birth control as birth control is about trying to prevent pregnancy in the future."

The question about the high rate of abortions connects the past, present and the future. It is a question that brings colonial history back to life and considers the historical trauma that was caused. At the same time, it is a mirror for the Greenlandic society today, showing us the social problems which have their roots in the choices that have been made in the past. Present and past come together when thinking about solutions.

When it comes down to decreasing the high abortion rate in Greenland, investing in sex education pograms is important. Dr Rink agrees and emphasizes that these programs should be developed with respect of the people and the place. "You can't just take a Danish sex education program and copy-paste it into the Greenlandic society, it doesn't work like that". Communication seems to be a crucial element that should be embedded in a tailor-made program. "We went to schools and asked youngsters what they need", the Greenlandic government employee says with a slightly desperate voice. "They said that people should start talking about this".