"No better advocate could be found for women who suffer violence than Rona M. Fields. All her life she has worked with people who are victims of the many conflicts in the world, from Northern Ireland to the Middle East and beyond. As a woman professor and as one who lives a life of great independence, she has personal experience of the slights and all-too-frequent violence suffered by women. Her book is most eloquent." - Raymond G. Helmick, S.J., Instructor in Conflict Resolution, Department of Theology, Boston College, USA"The author writes with impressive passion and clarity on a subject and for a cause in which she has been immersed for a lifetime. Her own life story is parallel with the history of her gender and like all women who overcome these barriers to survival, she has victoriously presented us with an interdisciplinary scholarly work that incorporates anthropology, psychology, sociology, archeology, women's studies, and law. She reveals the essential danger toall humans of the politicization of extremist religion and the perversion of dictatorships of the left and of the right." - Roberto Savio, Founder and President Emeritus, Inter Press Service (a non-profit cooperative of journalists and experts specializing in global communications for development)"Rona M Fields combines in a unique way a consulting clinical and forensic practice with a thorough academic career. Her activities as a journalist have given her a global view on her subject. In her new book Against Violence against Women: The Case for Gender as a Protected Class she gives an exposé of how women have been maltreated under the pretext of protection in various cultures and religions. She states that violence against women whether in the form of genital mutilation or honour killing, was never sanctioned or prescribed by any of the Abrahamic theologies. Those violent practices devolved from pre-Abrahamicic tribal practices in Africa and probably Eurasia,' Rona Fields states. In the contemporary world gender violence is practiced under the guise of religious or cultural 'law' and historical custom, she continues. Women are considered property and 'protected' as part of a patrilinear and patriarchal system. Rona Fields gives new perspectives on the world wide phenomenon of violence against women with numerous examples from different cultures and religions, always with a historical insight. Her research is profound and wide-ranging." - Karmela Belinki, Journalist, Finnish Broadcast and Scandinavian print media"A brilliant piece of scholarship by an author who writes with passion and insight. Her knowledge of the Celts and of Ireland does credit to her years of work on the ground in Belfast and Derry." - James Downey, Reporter, Irish Independent"Rona Fields could have not come up with any better issue to highlight from her research. The findings are spot-on, well-illuminated, and empowering explanations of how the global communitycan support the liberation of womankind. I applaud Fields' work." - Lindy Myeza, President, the Ecumenical Women Movement, South Africa
