The Lilongwe District Council has expressed concern over the increase in gender-based violence (GBV) cases in the district.

Speaking on Thursday during a stakeholders meeting, Lilongwe district gender officer Gertrude Simwaka said they recorded 6 859 GBV cases from April 2023 to April 2024.

She 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.

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

"These figures are worrisome, considering several interventions government and non-governmental 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 Laudan Kaira called on the general public to report GBV cases on time.

"There is a need for women empowerment because many of the women are victims of GBV as they rely on men for their survival. They are forced to stay in abusive marriages and live with their abuser since they do not have options," said Kaira.

Speaking earlier, Coalition for the Empowerment of Women and Girls project officer John Kachere said his organisation will continue to raise awareness to empower women and girls by introducing a revolving fund so that they venture into small-scale businesses.