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This paper examines the global and structural forces facilitating the movement of female migrant domestic workers (FMDWs) from developing regions to southern Europe and the Levant. At the intersection of welfare state, childcare, gender and migration regimes, we can identify a cross-Mediterranean domestic worker model. It has important implications for the magnitude, composition (in terms of national background and live-in vs. live-out work), legal status and mobilization of the region's FMDWs. Their roles in global migration flows and national labour markets, as explained in the existing literature, are examined, followed by case comparison of Spain, Greece, Cyprus, Israel, Lebanon and Jordan. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Foreign domestic workers are vulnerable everywhere in the world but are particularly so in frozen conflict societies. The article describes their poor living and working conditions in the Republic of Cyprus and argues that these have been exacerbated by the social consequences of the frozen conflict on the island. It focuses on three social consequences of the frozen conflict, namely that it has deprioritised the feminist agenda, normalised nationalist narratives and created a skewed understanding of human rights. Combined, these explain why protecting the rights of foreign domestic workers in Cyprus is even less of a priority than elsewhere. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research article presents an empirical model that takes economic vulnerability into consideration to measure and address the phenomenon of precarious work and precariousness. In order to achieve this, three satisfactory indicators were formulated, consisting of both individual and institutional levels and taking into account the country-specific relationships among the variables, depending on country-specific conditions. Based on this, the choice of homeownership is introduced instead of the eligibility for employment benefits. In this way, precarity has been examined as a condition in which precariousness and economic vulnerability intersect and interact. In Cyprus, 9.5% of the workers in Cyprus were classified as precarious, while 4.4% were classified as being in precarity (i.e., precarious and economically vulnerable). The empirical findings revealed that precariousness was related to gender, migration, and the employment sector, which is consistent with the well-known literature. One of the most noteworthy findings was the high number of female migrant domestic workers in Cyprus. In this study, new variables and novel empirical approaches were introduced into the discussion of precarious work and precariousness, which may eventually lead to new theoretical and policy avenues for reducing or eliminating this phenomenon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Domestic workers face increased risk for sexual harassment and assault in the workplace but are often reluctant to disclose abuse or seek retribution. We report on a study looking at migrant domestic workers' responses to sexual violence, reasons behind their responses, and factors enhancing or diminishing vulnerability to abuse. We carried out qualitative, in-depth, individual and group interviews with 15 female domestic workers from the Philippines and Sri Lanka working in the Republic of Cyprus. Descriptive thematic analysis was used to analyse data using QSR NVivo 10.0. Sexual violence against migrant domestic workers was reported to be rampant, particularly among women living with their employer. Perpetrators took advantage of women's precarious legal, social, and economic circumstances to coerce women into a sexual relationship. All participants reported taking action to stop attacks despite the significant barriers they faced: racism and discrimination, social isolation, and hostile legal, labour, and immigration systems. Fear of losing their job, being deported, and facing racism and discrimination from the police were the biggest barriers to seeking retribution. Access to informational, e.g., legal, practical, and emotional support, facilitated positive outcomes following abuse, such as finding a new employer. Systemic racism, hostile labour and immigration systems, and lack of support increase risk of sexual violence and place barriers against accessing safe working spaces, protection, and justice. Women need to be informed of the risks involved in domestic work and empowered to identify abuse and access help and support when needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores how Greek Cypriot elementary school children construct their identities in relation to Sri Lankan and Filipino women who come to Cyprus as domestic workers. The article focuses primarily on the views of children whose families employ these women; however, the views of children whose families do not employ domestic workers are also explored to illustrate how these women are popularly constructed in children's imaginations and in the absence of direct daily interaction with them. The study reveals that children access different cultural discourses and construct identities that are often ambivalent and contradictory and are revealing of new forms of nationalism and racism. For the children whose families employ domestic workers, the home becomes an arena for renegotiating their status as children in their interactions with these women. Thus, the encounter between Self and Other becomes critical to understanding reconstituted definitions of childhood and adulthood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]