The 2012 Abomey-Calavi “vodun” child-trafficking controversy

Record summary

Beninese media and child-protection organizations periodically reported allegations that children were trafficked or threatened with sacrifice in contexts described as vodun or ritual crime. These reports intersect with the country’s living Vodun institutions but do not establish that Vodun doctrine requires sacrifice. The lead is useful for comparing traditional-religion labeling, trafficking fears, sensational journalism, and official child-protection work. Researchers should identify the exact case behind a report, because broad “ritual sacrifice” stories often combine unrelated disappearances, rumors, and criminal investigations.