Somy Ali: Every single day at No More Tears is a war zone

Former Bollywood actor Somy Ali started her non-profit organization in 2007 with the aim of helping and rescuing victims of sexual abuse and trafficking. However, every day since the first day has been challenging for her, but she is not one to lose hope and will continue with her fight against this menace that is destroying society. She said, “Every single day at No More Tears is a war zone. Not just emotionally—but literally. A battlefield where we fight for lives that the world has already written off. I have been attacked 9 times, and I am still recovering from it all. I wish I could say things are getting better. I wish I could tell you we’re seeing fewer cases. But that would be a lie. Domestic violence is surging. Human trafficking is exploding. And the most harrowing part? They’re often intertwined.” “Little girl, 11-year-olds are being sold like property. Pregnant women are beaten until their unborn children stop moving. LGBTQ+ youth are tossed out like garbage, left to fend for themselves in a world all too ready to devour them. Immigrant mothers who don’t speak a word of English are terrified, isolated, and hiding behind bruises and broken spirits because they think no one will believe them, and they will get deported. I’m not just reading case files; I am living them,” she added. She further shared that she had her team at NMT take out victims from police stations, dingy motels, hospital ERs, and even from the alleys behind gas stations. She said, “Just last month, I personally carried a pregnant teenager out of a trailer where she’d been chained like an animal. And yes, I still go on these missions. I’ve removed lice from young girls’ hair with my own hands. *I’ve sat in abortion clinics comforting incest survivors.* Why? Because I know what it feels like to scream silently, to wonder if anyone will come save you.” Somy confessed that she too was that girl once who was asked to be quiet while she was made to endure the torture.  People see the headlines. What they don’t see are the fingernails split and bleeding from digging girls out of metaphorical and literal ditches.” *If using what’s left of my name from Bollywood can shine a light into this darkness, then so be it. I will set fire to my own legacy if it means saving one more life,” she said. She also revealed that she has made a substantial donation to No More Tears quietly and added, “Not for recognition—but because women are hanging themselves in abusive relationships. Children are dying in silence. And if I have a single dollar in my account, it belongs to them before it belongs to me.” She further said, “I donated to PM Modi’s PM CARES fund recently as well—not out of political loyalty, but because when India hurts, I hurt. My roots run deep. My father’s ancestry is Hindu and Gujarati. When floods come or pandemics rage or people suffer silently in the shadows, I feel compelled to act.” For Somy, this act of giving is not a transaction but a prayer. She said, “It’s my way of saying, ‘I haven’t forgotten where I come from.” However, she did mention that her heart aches to see her abuser walk freely and be celebrated and worshipped while she is vilified for daring to speak the truth. She said, “It shatters me that Bollywood, the very world I once dreamed of, now pretends I never existed. That the so-called friends I loved didn’t even reach out after I spoke publicly about my rape. And my family… their silence is another kind of violence. A betrayal that stings in places I can’t even name.” But she has stopped waiting for apologies and justice, as she has found something stronger—a purpose. She said, “To every mother and father reading this—to every sister, every daughter, every brother—you have a role to play. Whether you share our stories, volunteer, or simply teach your sons to respect women, that is activism. Don’t wait until it’s your daughter. Don’t wait until it’s your son.” “We don’t need more silence. We need a revolution. Visit  www.NoMoreTearsUSA.org. If Bollywood can forget me, maybe you can remember why this matters. Because I will never stop fighting. Not now. Not ever,” Somy shared.