Inter-personal violence in Abomey-Calavi (Republic of Benin) 2015-2018

The purpose of this study was to describe the epidemiological, forensic and judicial aspects of physical abuse in Abomey-Calavi (Republic of Benin). This retrospective study covered the period from 2015 to 2018. It covered all the cases of voluntary assaults tried in Abomey-Calavi court. The study included a total of 450 physical assault cases. The victims were mostly young men (58.7%) with a mean age of 31 years. The offenders had a similar profile. They were mostly young men with a mean age of 32 years. The assailants were mostly alone (86, 2%) and unarmed (56, 1%). Domestic violence frequency was 8.845%. The most frequent lesions were wound (63.1%) and bruise (51.4%). The mean duration of the total impairment was 5.8 days.
Physical violence is the consequence of permanent tensions in urban area. It reflects a social imbalance. Violence management policies need to focus on prevention.

Keywords: Physical violence, Forensic medicine, Total incapacity to work, Benin republic.