Hong Kong-based Canadian author Sylvia Yu heard many heart-wrenching stories while researching sex trafficking in Asia.

The story of Mei – just 14 when she was trafficked as a bride – hit extra hard.

Bought by an elderly farmer in China, Mei spent years chained up like a dog. By the time she found support in a shelter she had been starved, used as a sex slave, contracted HIV and battled drug addiction and suicidal thoughts.

Mei’s story is one of many Yu recounts in her new book Fearless: A Guide to Freedom and Fulfilling Your Fullest Potential, a candid reflection on her own family, cross-cultural work experiences and sometimes harrowing adventures as a human rights journalist.

“I gravitate to the untold stories – I want people to feel heard.”

Yu has long given a voice to the voiceless through her pioneering investigations into the underworld of sex trafficking and modern-day slavery.