Actress Somy Ali, who runs a US-based NGO called No More Tears, recently saved 18 Indian girls from being trafficked. Somy, who works tirelessly to save victims of domestic rape and human trafficking, says that there are various ways to lure these girls today that human traffickers use.
“There were 18 girls and the youngest was 11 years old. The police got a lead that they were about to be sold, so they were saved right when they landed and were under our care for five days. We provided therapy, food, shelter, and clothing to all the girls. They were from various parts of India. Many were sent plane tickets by recruiters who essentially work for the human trafficking ring. Particularly, nowadays it’s become women who lure these girls, as a young girl is more likely to trust another woman rather than a man. This is all done via the Internet. They are offered jobs and their parents deem this to be the best thing that could have happened to their sons or daughters,” she says.
She adds, “We got lucky given our funds are significantly lower than usual, and a donor paid for all 18 tickets. Last night they were on a plane thanks to this donor who wants to remain anonymous and is originally from India as well. He paid for 18 tickets and we were completely ecstatic. He was an angel for these young girls who were duped under the guise of getting sponsored through corporations giving them jobs. It’s completely insane how common this is universally and the pattern is typically the same. Either someone from within the family tries to sell a girl or a boy or there are fabricated job offers which these vulnerable people consider a blessing. It’s extremely horrible as it’s growing quite rapidly and it has no prejudices. It doesn’t matter how old one is or where they come from. Human trafficking is modern-day slavery and exists everywhere. The clients are lawyers, police officers, laypeople, teachers, women, and men. Thus, it impacts all of us. This core fact needs to be ingrained into our society. Perhaps then people will begin to educate themselves on the sudden growth of this industry.”
Ask her how she feels that human trafficking can be stopped, and she says, “That’s contingent upon how much anyone cares to get involved hence educating themselves on the prevalence of trafficking. Additionally, how to spot signs when one is being trafficked. For example, all these 17 girls flew on their own except the eleven-year-old girl was with a man and she looked terrified. One has to be vigilant and more than anything one has to care. The issue in general is that people don’t believe this is happening and even if they do know they tend to look the other way since it’s not happening to their family members. So essentially it boils down to educating oneself and caring for others. Now, the latter part is typically and not innately built in all of our DNA. This causes a huge problem because of trafficking or any other issue. If everyone is out for themselves and the demand keeps growing the supply will grow equally strong. I am just glad that these girls weren’t sold and we were able to get them on a plane last night back home. Again, the donors and people who care made this possible. Therefore, one has to be a little selfless, educated on the prevalence of human trafficking, and genuinely act upon saving lives. If these three components aren’t there I am afraid human trafficking will continue and grow exponentially given it’s already a billion-dollar industry. People have to care and find their purpose. We do not have to just pick one thing in life. Having fun and activism do not have to be mutually exclusive.”
