The Gender Division in Solwezi District of North-western Province has empowered twenty seven women-led cooperatives in various skills as intervention in the fight against Gender Based Violence (GBV).

District Senior Gender Division Officer, Dela Mwanza, told the media in Solwezi that most women fall prey to GBV because they lack capital to start a business, hence government support.

Ms Mwanza said the women lead cooperatives have been empowered in agricultural programmes, restaurant and car wash businesses respectively.

“The cooperatives which have been empowered in North-western Province most of them are women led cooperatives. We support women led, in total we have supported twenty seven women groups in various programmes.

“I would say in agriculture, some are having chicken run, some are in car wash and some are in restaurants,” she said.

Meanwhile, Ms Mwanza has bemoaned the slow number of men reporting Gender Based Violence cases.

Ms Mwanza said it is normal for a man to report Gender Based Violence adding that police officers are now professionally trained on how to handle men who are abused by women.

She has since appealed to all men to report Gender Based Violence cases against.