Some Wounds Don’t Bleed — They Change the World by Being Seen

In 2011, Somayeh Mehri made a brave, life-changing decision to leave a marriage filled with fear, seeking to give her daughter Rana a safer future. But the man she left behind turned his threats into cold, brutal reality one tragic June night. His attack was meant to destroy them both.

Somayeh lost her sight. Her daughter Rana, only three years old at the time, lost part of hers.

But what couldn’t be taken from them — what survived — was stronger than anything meant to break them: their love, their tenderness, and their courage.

In the face of unimaginable pain and suffering, Somayeh and Rana held onto the one thing that had not been shattered: their bond. And then came the photograph that would change everything — a haunting yet powerful image of Somayeh, blind and burned, gently kissing her injured child. The photograph spread across the globe, not as a symbol of shock, but as a call for justice.

The image became a symbol: that no woman or child should ever be left unprotected, that silence fuels violence, and that love can remain unbroken, even in the darkest of moments.

Their story is one of survival, of defiance against those who would use violence to silence love and hope. Pain tried to erase them, but instead, they became light — shining brightly, calling for a world where no one suffers in silence, where love and justice prevail over violence and hatred.

Somayeh and Rana’s courage and strength have inspired millions, turning their suffering into a global movement for women’s rights and child protection. Their story is a reminder that even in the deepest shadows, light can break through — and sometimes, it’s the stories of survivors that bring the world to its feet, demanding change.

Their fight is far from over.