By Mwai Kumanda

Lilongwe, June 27, Mana; The Lilongwe District Council has expressed concern over the increase in Gender Based Violence (GBC) cases in the district.

Speaking on Thursday during a stakeholders meeting, Lilongwe District Gender Officer, Gertrude Simwaka said the district recorded 6,859 GBV cases from April 2023 to April 2024.

Simwaka attributed the increase to poverty and lack of self-reliance, as some of the factors contributing to the high rate of GBV in the communities.

She said out of the 6,859 GBV cases recorded, 5,429 involved women while 1,430 were males.

 "These figures are very worrisome, considering several intervetions government and Non-Govermental Organisations (NGOs) are implementing in the district.

“The cases recorded mainly include; physical, sexual, economic and emotional abuse and 80 percent of the victims are women." she said.

Lilongwe Police Station Community Policing Coordinator, Sub Inspector Laudan Kaira called on the general public to report GBV cases on time.

“There is need for women empowerment, as many of the women falling victim have high reliance on men and have no choice but to go back to the same marriage and live with their abuser. There is need to encourage and link women to groups that will empower them financially,” said Kaira.

Speaking earlier, Coalition for the Empowerment of Women and Girls (CEWAG), Project Officer, John Kachere said his organization will continue to raise awareness to empower women and girls by introducing a revolving fund so that they venture into small scale businesses.