Pastors monetized witch-child diagnosis by charging escalating fees for discernment.

Evidence

Stage two: the confirmation. A Pentecostal-Charismatic pastor — sometimes self-appointed, sometimes affiliated with a larger church network — is consulted. The pastor “discerns” or “diagnoses” the child as a witch, often through a process that involves prayer, fasting, and physical examination. The UNICEF 2010 report documents that some pastors charge fees for the diagnosis — typically between 5,000 and 50,000 Nigerian naira (approximately 5 to 50 at contemporary exchange rates) in the Akwa Ibom context, and between 50 and 500 in the Kinshasa context. — , The Rod and the Child, 4622

Categorization

• SEED: The fee-for-diagnosis structure is a clear economic incentive story: how religious certification of children created a market in accusations.