Benin: a miller prosecuted in Abomey-Calavi for physical violence against a child

The alleged acts against the defendant took place within his own mill, a space where the young victim had gone to have grains ground for his family.

According to the evidence presented at the criminal hearing, the incident centered around a 50 CFA franc coin. While waiting for his turn, the child supposedly spotted the coin on the ground and picked it up. Surprised by the act, the miller immediately accused the boy of theft, believing that he was wrongfully taking money that did not belong to him.

Instead of confiscating the coin or reprimanding the child, the artisan chose to administer an extremely brutal physical punishment by delivering several successive slaps to the boy’s face.

The intensity of the blows caused immediate trauma, leading to ocular bleeding in the young victim. Given the seriousness of the injury and the visible physical consequences on the child, legal proceedings were initiated by the competent authorities.

During the prosecution’s statements, the public prosecution firmly condemned this disproportionate excess of violence. The magistrate requested a 12-month suspended prison sentence for the miller, as well as a fine of 250,000 CFA francs. At the end of the discussions, the case was put under deliberation, and the matter was adjourned until July 8, 2026, for the final verdict of the court.