A family in Odisha now thanks a Catholic nun for rescuing them from bonded labour in the southern Indian state. “I can finally breathe freely. I thank Sister Sujata pro-fusely,” says Deepthi Singh, who was held in bondage along with her husband in a brick kiln in Karnataka state’s Mallur district. The 22-year-old pregnant woman told Matters India July 17 that they had spent “countless nights crying out for help, feeling bitter about my circumstances and even blaming my parents.” Sister Sujata Jena’s initiative has helped Deepti, her husband, father, mother and stepmother to return to Gandhinagar, their village in Odisha’s Gajapati district, on July 11 after toiling in the Karnataka brick kiln for a total of nine years. Sister Jena, a lawyer and a mem-ber of the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, said she heard about the family on July 3 during her visit to villa-ges in Gajapati district to conduct awareness programs for migrant workers. One of the participants of an awareness program was Deepti’s mother Subasini Singh, who told the nun how her family – husband, daughter, son in law and another member – was held in bondage in Karnataka. On her return to Bhubaneswar, Odisha capital, five days later, Sister Jeana appealed to the Labour Commissioner of Karnataka to get the family released from the illegal bondage. “The family’s rescue highlights the demeaning conditions of migrant labourers in India,” Sister Jena, who has worked among migrants for more than five years, told.