Kamaiyas in Nepal: Freed legally, these bonded labourers face a never-ending fight for livelihood

Most houses at Mukta Basti, in Dang’s Deukhuri valley, are padlocked. The settlement, near Rapti rural municipality, is home to the marginalised community, most of whom worked as kamaiyas (or bonded labourers).

Most of these houses are built with mud and locally available materials. Not many people live in this village as most have left for foreign employment in India while some have gone to the Gulf countries.