Cambodia's Female Construction Workers - CARE International 

In a country with virtually no labour protections, female construction workers face a double burden. Care International has long advocated for better protections for women and girls, as well as workers. In 2016 the international NGO commissioned me to carry out a series of portraits and editorial photos of women laborers to be used alongside newly launched research on their situation. 

A female and male construction worker work side-by-side on a Phnom Penh construction site.

Women labour on a Phnom Penh construction site.

A woman works on a construction site in Phnom Penh.

Working with a team I hired myself, I identified suitable construction sites around Phnom Penh, helped find women to feature, and revisited them over a series of days as they worked under harrowing conditions, for about $5 a day.

 After getting to know the women, I shot them in their homes, on break, and at work. The photos were used by Care for their website, internal communications, and disseminated to the media.

With little oversight, construction in Cambodia is a dangerous profession.

A portrait of a worker. 

A portrait of a worker. 

A portrait of a worker. 

"This is my first job in construction. Back in the provinces I worked in the rice fields but as this work is seasonal I decided to do something more consistent."

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