The construction boom has done nothing for the worker and her children

The starting point of our work was the child on construction sites. Reaching out to various players in the construction sector continues to be a critical component of our programme. The two main players are the Workers and the Builders.

The Construction Industry in India employs around 30 million workers. They work in extremely hazardous conditions; unequal wages are paid to men and women; childcare and educational amenities are completely absent as are maternity benefits for women.

In 36 years, Mobile Creches has worked with more than 200 builders. We urge builders and contractors to fund the childcare centre on their site and sensitise them towards the issues facing construction workers and their children.

• The Construction Industry employs 30 million workers, of which, over 30% are women. The National Sample Survey 1999-2000 puts the number of construction workers at 20 million. Conservative estimates of women workers would put the number of children at sites at 10 million and 300,000 children in Delhi alone