Award of Excellence: Tunu
In West Greenland, the east coast is called Tunu. It means “the backside.” The name comes partly from the harsh weather, which makes the coast difficult to access, and partly because the east coast was colonized 100 years later than the west coast. But it also reflects the fact that East Greenland faces some of the country’s most severe social problems: suicide, sexual abuse, violence, and substance misuse.
For many, life is so hard and hopeless that it can be difficult to see any meaning. Yet there are also forces trying to give the next generation a better life—among them, teaching young people to dream. Not necessarily big dreams, but simply about something: a sofa, a tour guide certificate, or savings for a small fishing boat.
As opportunities are few with almost no educational options and jobs, and the lack of housing puts extra pressure on families. Some try to move to West or South Greenland to study, but return when homesickness becomes too strong. The question remains: what future awaits a generation go youth learning to dream in a town that has none?
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There were 35 reports of rape in 2023, while in Nuuk, which has ten times as many inhabitants, there were 70 reports. Tasiilaq also had more reports of rape of children under 15 than anywhere else in the country, except for Nuuk. A population survey from 2018 revealed that 81 percent of all women in Tasiilaq born after 1970 had experienced sexual abuse, and in 2023, just over one-third of all surgical abortions in Greenland were performed in Tasiilaq. The town also faces major challenges with alcohol, which is why hard spirits have not been sold in East Greenland since 2011. In 2021, Tasiilaq had to implement a short-term immediate alcohol ban after two suicides, four suicide threats, fifteen domestic disturbances, and one rape occurred in the span of just one week following a payday. According to Peter Justesen, the head of Tasiilaq police, alcohol is involved in the vast majority of offenses in the town. “We are extremely busy around the first of the month. It is mainly violent and sexual crimes, and they mostly occur within close relationships."
