ILORIN – The National President of the Nigerian Association of Women Journalists, (NAWOJ), Mrs Ifeyinwa Omowole, has advocated psychiatric test for rapists, especially those who engaged in raping toddlers.
Omowole made call in an interview with newsmen on Sunday in Ilorin.
She particularly expressed concern over the increasing cases of rape against toddlers in the country and called for a holistic measure by the three tiers of government against the menace.
The NAWOJ president said that rape should be seen beyond a violent act, adding that investigations should include the state of mental disorder of the perpetrators of the crime.
She stressed the need to encourage specialisation in trauma verification and clinical psychology in order to look at the cases of such violence from diverse perspectives.
On the participation of more women in the electoral process in 2015, Omowole called for more gender equality the nation’s polity, adding that although women had attained 33 per cent representations in government, it could be improved upon.
She, however, admitted that Nigeria was not yet ripe for a female president or governor, but urged women to participate more in politics at the grassroots.
Omowole also expressed satisfaction with the composition of the National Conference and commended President Goodluck Jonathan for his bold step in constituting the body.
She, however, expressed the hope that the conference would come up with meaningful recommendations that could further move the nation forward.
On how to move the Journalism profession forward, Omowole said that her tenure would accord priority to the training of journalists, especially women.
She assured that the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), under the leadership of Malam Mohammed Garba, would work relentlessly toward actualising the Media Salary Structure (MSS).
Omowole described Kwara as a peaceful state and appealed to the leadership to sustain the existing peace in the area. (NAN)