Somy Ali on trafficking in the US: Men marry women from different countries and sell them to traffickers in the US

MUMBAI: Somy Ali, who runs an NGO called No More Tears in the US, says that human trafficking is a growing concern there. She says that a common way of doing it is via men who marry women from different parts of the world, bring them to the US, and then sell them.

“Unfortunately, this has become a common theme not only between South Asians, but they are called mail order brides. The horrific aspect is that while the young girls’ parents assume they have hit the jackpot, it’s completely antithetical to their beliefs. Their daughters, particularly those who aren’t allowed to date, are sold for more money than those who have actively had former relationships. The men bring these women from various countries and sell them to the human traffickers be it labour or sex trafficking. Some girls are as young as 16,” she says.

She adds, “It’s beyond devastating as it’s literally destroying these women’s lives and since human trafficking is the largest growing criminal enterprise in the world, things will only get worse. It’s even overtaken the drug industry given people can use drugs once, humans can be sold over and over again.”

Talking about an incident, she says, “Our worst case was that of a five year old boy whose own father raped him first, which is also known as an initiation stage in the horrific world of trafficking, and then that child’s father started selling his own son for sex to his male friends which eventually led to the kid ending up in a very dangerous child sex trafficking ring. We rescued 12 children in that sting operation and it was heartbreaking and very traumatizing to see the children knowing what they had endured.”

We need to deal with this now, she says, adding that education will help a lot. “Education, knowledge and above all, vigilance by the law enforcement who should vet these websites before these girls are married off into far away lands where they don’t even know where they are geographically. Ultimately, parents need to be sure that these sites are legitimate. It’s not an easy task, but if I were a parent, I would rather marry my daughter via an extended family member’s referral at the risk of sounding old school. It's better than later knowing that your child is being trafficked and abused,” she says.

She adds, “I urge the parents to please be wary of these sites and where they are sending their daughters. Above all, remain in constant contact with their daughters as that’s a huge red flag when all contact is shut down. That immediately sends a message that something is not right. Thus, vigilance is the key, vetting the sites, and constantly being in touch with your daughters is pivotal.”