Khemraj has a dream, which is now accompanied by the hope of his newfound freedom. “I will build a house for my family on this plot of land with the money I received from the government as the sanctioned rehabilitation amount,” he says. He has worked on a plan for the house and has also started putting some money away for when the construction begins in his village Pachhamta, in Bhilwara district of Rajasthan.

A few months prior, Khemraj, his wife Bali and 12-year old daughter Jamuna had been working long hours as bonded labourers at a brick kiln. With no option of leaving the kiln or looking for alternative employment, Khemraj was unable to repay the loan of Rs. 40,000 he had taken from the brick kiln owner when his wife had fallen seriously ill. Khemraj explains that since being rescued in May 2016, and receiving government rehabilitation benefits, he has a new lease of life. Moreover, the 2-year rehabilitation programme which he and his family have enrolled in provides them with a further opportunity to dictate the skills they hope to develop to embrace a new livelihood. Khemraj has decided to continue laying bricks at a kiln, knowing that he already has the level of experience and proficiency required to do the job well.

However, at his new workplace, he receives daily wages based on the number of bricks they lay, and can work at his own pace. Bali, Kemraj’s wife, currently works at a construction site very near their home, earning a daily wage of Rs. 200. “The government and the JBVSS staff have changed my life around. The past is truly behind us now and I know we are free to build our future,” says Khemraj.