Maid in Southern Europe: a human rights perspective on the status of female migrant domestic workers in Cyprus and Spain

Abstract

Female migrant domestic workers constitute one of the most vulnerable groups of workers in the international labour market as they are frequently found working and living in conditions that put their Human Rights at stake. They can be subjected to triple discrimination deriving from their gender, their status as migrants and their occupation. The protection of their Human and specifically of their Labour Rights depends mainly on how migration models in each country address them as a group of migrants and how national labour regulations deal with them as a category of workers. The aim of this thesis is to comparatively analyze the said models and regulations in Cyprus and Spain and identify provisions that render problematic the protection of the Human Rights of female migrant domestic workers. Then, the results of qualitative analysis conducted in the two aforementioned countries, give the perspective on the people from the field of domestic work, namely of Human Rights defenders and of the workers themselves. Finally, suggestions on how to improve the living and working conditions of these workers in a way that safeguards their Human Rights are presented.