Shocking images show little girl, 15 months, tied to a ROCK in construction site to stop her wandering off while her parents spend the day at work
Mother cannot afford childcare for her two children and her eldest is too little to look after the cute infant
A 15-MONTH-OLD girl has been found tied to a rock in a sweltering construction site, while her mother labours for just £2.63 a day.
Little Shivani is tethered to a rock by her parents’ work with red and white ‘Caution’ ticker tape to stop her from wandering off.
She is left in temperatures of up to 40 degrees so her parents can earn money for the family.
Her mother cannot afford childcare so has to keep Shivani tied to the 4.5ft long tape to keep her from harm’s way.
She spends hours every day digging holes at the construction site in Ahmedabad, western India.
She prepares the ground for electrical cables and only earns 250 rupees each day, equivalent to £2.63.
Sarta Kalara, 23, said: "I tie her so she doesn't go on the road. My younger son is three and a half so he is not able to control her.
"This site is full of traffic, I have no option. I do this for her safety."
She says that there is nowhere to safely leave her child.
According to Kalara, construction workers "don't care about us or our children - they are only concerned with their work."
Shivani was photographed on 20 April by a Reuters photographer.
He was pelted with rocks by the other labourers after he took the photos.
Kalara’s problem with childcare is not an unusual one.
Across India, children are forced to sit by the roadside or in construction sites as their parents do back-breaking work.
Many families cannot afford childcare so have to take their children to work with them.
Parents often wait until their child is about seven or eight before they send them to live with their grandparents.
Prabhat Jha, of Save the Children India said: "There should be crèche facilities, either from the government or the construction companies. There should be a safe place for these children.
"They are at real risk of being hurt."
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