Elaine Pearson – Chasing Wrongs and Rights | Online Author Talk | February 2023

In the lead-up to International Women’s Day (8 March 2023), we were joined online by interviewer and writer Claire Halliday in an important conversation with Elaine Pearson.

Elaine’s new non-fiction book, Chasing Wrongs and Rights tells a story of a life-long interest in human rights. It’s a story that started as a personal mission – and an unwavering commitment that continues today.

About the Book –

Growing up in Perth, Elaine Pearson dreamt of the world beyond her Australian backyard. Her British father and Singaporean-Chinese mother meant that her family extended beyond our shores, but her full understanding of how her professional calling might have been influenced by personal history was yet to come. Elaine’s interest in women’s rights and people-trafficking begins when she discovered that her beloved maternal grandmother had been sold to an opera troupe as a child to save the family from starvation.

It’s a journey that takes us on an international survey of human rights – into the UN committee rooms of New York and Geneva, as well as to the front-lines of Sri Lanka’s search for those who disappeared in the country’s civil war, examining death squad killings on the Philippines island of Mindanao and the detention of asylum seekers in Papua New Guinea. Her insights into the treatment of prisoners in Australia, many of whom are Aboriginal, demonstrates that human rights abuses are something that also happens in our own backyard. Chasing Wrongs and Rights reveals elements of humanity at its worst. Just as often, though, it shows the resilience, compassion and determination of people at their very best.

About the Author –

Elaine Pearson is the Acting Asia Director at Human Rights Watch, based in Sydney. She joined Human Rights Watch in 2007 and was formerly the Deputy Director of the Asia Division and the Australia Director. Her articles have appeared in the Guardian, the Sydney Morning Herald, the Australian, Foreign Policy and the Washington Post.

About the Host –

Claire is a freelance writer, author, copywriter and interviewer, with five non-fiction books and numerous articles in leading publications. She is currently working on a new book and accompanying podcast. Claire hosts regular In Conversation events for libraries, bookshops and organisations, and her insightful questions always make for an enjoyable evening.

Event details –
Monday 27 February 2023 6.30pm via Zoom

Subtitles – 

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