Stand Up, Speak Out: My life working for women's rights, peace and equality in Northern Ireland and beyond [Hardcover]

Monica McWilliamss life as a tireless activist and politician in Northern Ireland illuminates how one woman powered civil rights, women's rights, and peace efforts through courage, policy work, and cross-community leadership.By the age of ten, Monica McWilliams was dispensing payouts in her grannys post office, book-keeping for her cattle-dealer father and leaving no one in any doubt that she could stand up for herself. She went on to break the mold in so many ways, as a woman, as an activist, and as a politician. In this frank and fascinating memoir, she tells her extraordinary story for first time.A Derry Catholic, she participated in the civil rights protests of the 1960s. She was 15 when attended her first NICRA meeting in 69. Her ground-breaking work on domestic violence and the training she delivered to police officers and the Public Prosecution Service. Her pivotal role in the women's movement in Northern Ireland and her work on the ground with cross-community groups such as Poverty Lobby, Gingerbread, Women's Aid. Her co-founding of the Northern Ireland Womens Coalition and her participation in the peace talks that led to the signing of The Good Friday Agreement. The deep misogyny and discrimination that she and the Coalition were subjected to during their time in politics and how they stood up to that. Her 5 years as a serving politician in the NI Assembly. Her work with victims as Chief Commissioner of the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission and her global work in human rights and peace-building.A frank and fascinating memoir from a Northern Irish peace activist, human rights defender, and former politician who has broken the mold in so many ways  in her work on domestic violence; in her co-founding of the Northern Ireland Womens Coalition; and in her fight for peace and human rights both at home and globally.GB