Freedom Begins: Reclaiming the Right to Choose
When Hareram* was freed from bonded labor in May 2023, freedom meant more than leaving exploitation behind. For Hareram and others in the lowest caste Musahar community of northern India, it marked the beginning of a journey toward dignity, legal identity, and a future they could finally help shape.
Before his release, Hareram’s community was landless and lived in extreme poverty, with little access to information about their legal rights and government entitlements. Generations of systemic marginalization had left families vulnerable to exploitation and cut off from the protections meant to serve them. Yet even in these conditions, Hareram was a respected community leader, committed not only to his own survival but to the welfare of others.
Justice Secured: Realizing Land Ownership
After his release, Hareram was determined to secure justice extending beyond mere freedom to legal recognition. Through community outreach facilitated by JVI’s Justice Hub, he learned about his eligibility for land entitlements and quickly filed an application for a land certificate. Hareram’s relentless follow-up on the application resulted in a certificate being given a year later to formally recognize his right to land.
This step opened the door to lasting change for others. In May 2025, in a historic event for the community, Hareram and 14 other survivors obtained title to land, making them landowners for the first time and giving them security and legal identity. This was justice in action – rights realized, systems engaged, and survivors recognized as rightful citizens.
Restoration Underway: Rebuilding Livelihood and a Future
JVI’s Justice Hub provided legal awareness sessions and leadership development that allowed Hareham to find his voice and help other survivors obtain entitlements, multiplying the impact of his journey. In addition, the Justice Hub provided livelihood training that gave Hareram income support and a pathway toward sustainable earning, strengthening his family’s financial resilience and reducing vulnerability to future exploitation. Three years after leaving bonded labor, Hareram’s story continues to inspire the Musahar community and reminds us that when access to rights and services is combined with survivor leadership, transformation does not stop with one person. It begins there.
*Name changed to protect identity.
