2019 Elaine Pearson Headshot

Elaine Pearson

Elaine Pearson is director of Human Rights Watch's Asia Division, overseeing the work of the division in more than 20 countries. She joined Human Rights Watch in 2007 and was formerly the Asia Deputy Director and Australia Director. Prior to joining Human Rights Watch, Pearson worked for the United Nations and various non-governmental organizations in Bangkok, Hong Kong, Kathmandu, and London.

She has conducted numerous human rights investigations in the Asia-Pacific region and around the world. Pearson writes frequently for a range of publications and her articles have appeared in the Guardian, the Sydney Morning Herald, the AustralianForeign Policy, and the Washington Post.

She is an adjunct lecturer in law at the University of New South Wales and on the board of the Global Alliance Against Traffic in Women.

Pearson holds degrees in law and arts from Murdoch University and obtained her master's degree in public policy at Princeton University's School of Public and International Affairs. She is the author of Chasing Wrongs and Rights, a human rights travelogue, published by Simon and Schuster in September 2022.