Criminal legal qualification of domestic violence under the legislation of the Republic of Benin: general position and initial ideas

The scientific article is devoted to a comparative analysis of the criminal legal assessment of domestic violence and the formation of theoretical provisions and practical recommendations for improving the criminal legal impact on this socially dangerous act. The chosen topic is relevant and is produced by the request to improve the mechanisms of influence on the determinants of domestic violence, which in turn involves the study of domestic and foreign experience in the field of criminal prosecution. In this context and taking into account the provisions of the current legislation of the European state of Ukraine and the African state of Benin, the results of a comparative analysis of the criminal norm «domestic violence» are highlighted. The paper reveals the theoretical and practical significance of criminal legal qualification. The essence and content of the existing models of «domestic violence» are summarized, analyzed and systematized, and the principles of legal influence on domestic violence are indicated. Pay attention to the types of gender-based violence. The general and specific features of domestic, marital violence, family, partner, domestic, violence, violence in the family environment are determined. It was found that under the criminal legislation of Benin, three categories of offenses are distinguished: crimes, misdemeanors, minor offenses. It was established that the legislation of the Republic of Benin lacks a profile Law on domestic violence similar to Ukrainian legislation. Also, the Criminal Code of the Republic of Benin lacks a specific criminal norm on «domestic violence» as a structural unit of the article of the criminal law. Thus, the conclusions and proposals set out in the scientific article allowed us to improve the existing model of the definition of «domestic violence», which will contribute to a better understanding of the challenges and opportunities for criminal prosecution for domestic violence both in the focus of the globalization of the political and legal space and in the focus of a specifically selected state and, accordingly, will create conditions for international cooperation between scientists from around the world and world institutions. The study was carried out within the framework of a scientific expedition to the Republic of Benin in May 2025-December 2025.