Infants (and even older
children) get daycare and food at the crèches… besides helping to solve the problem of forced child
labor.
Under normal circumstances, migrant women workers used to take their infants to the
construction sites and left them in the care of their older siblings - while they and their husbands went to work. Nowadays, crèches at construction sites give women the social support they (desperately) need.
There are women attendants and helpers to take care of the babies in the crèche. Not only are the children left in a safe place, the crèche allows the babies to sleep. Older children (upto 12) are taught to read and write by trained teachers.
The children of the construction workers get nutritious food at the crèche; and are not exposed to hazardous working conditions. Nursing mothers also feed their babies there. Malnourished infants and children are given some extra nutrition – as the nourishment gained in the first year is considered crucial in determining the child’s health. A doctor visits the crèche every week.
The Building and Other Construction Workers Act (1996) states that companies should provide crèches if they employ more than 50 women. However, many construction firms do not follow this rule. As per the Planning Commission, the opening of crèches is part of the strategy to improve infant nutrition. But the main problem is that 95 percent of women in India work in the unorganized sector. The construction (migrant) workers are the most deprived section. Providing crèches enables the construction companies to hire both husbands and their wives - and to retain them for longer periods. The children are also kept out of harm. It makes more (economic) sense for the construction companies to set up crèches instead of breaking the law.
Another aspect of the problem is that taking care of children at crèches (and non-formal schools) makes it easier for them to enter into the school system. It also helps to mould the behavior of these children, and improves their communication skills. Most of the children in these crèches come from underprivileged homes. In brief, the basic purpose of these company crèches is to provide a safe place - and some basic education - for the children of the migrant construction workers.