The living and working conditions of foreign domestic workers (FDW) in the Republic of Cyprus are dire. In a survey conducted among 150 FDW, most reported experiencing 40% longer working hours than stated in their contracts, a third reported not always being paid in full or paid with delays and 75% stated that they would not report any physical or sexual violence to the authorities.
In this seminar we examined how the unresolved Cyprus problem, seemingly unconnected to the FDW’s living and working conditions, is fuelling this phenomenon. We discussed why the Cypriot legal framework regulating the FDW’s working conditions is particularly inhospitable and how those challenges could be addressed at a policy level.
In this research seminar, Dr Hadjigeorgiou presented the findings of the Research Project Exploring the Socio-legal Challenges Faced by Foreign Domestic Workers in Cyprus, funded by the A.G. Leventis Research Innovation Programme on Cyprus.
Meet our speaker and chair
Nasia Hadjigeorgiou (@NHadjigeorgiou) is an Assistant Professor in Human Rights and Transitional Justice at the University of Central Lancashire (Cyprus campus). She holds an LLB with First Class Honours from University College London (2006-2009), an LLM from the University of Cambridge (2009-2010) and a PhD from King’s College London (2011-2015). Her monograph, entitled Protecting Human Rights and Building Peace in Post-violence Societies: An Underexplored Relationship (Hart Publishing, 2020) focuses on the protection of human rights in Cyprus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Northern Ireland and South Africa. Dr Hadjigeorgiou has been awarded the Graduate School Studentship from King’s College London (2011-2014), the Leventis Scholarship for academic excellence and research potential (2012-2014) and the Cyprus State Scholarship for academic excellence (2009-2010). She is the editor of Identity, Belonging and Human Rights (Brill, 2019) and has published a range of peer-reviewed articles and book chapters in the area of human rights in Cyprus and elsewhere, in both Greek and English. She is currently leading two research projects, one funded by the International Peace Research Association (IPRA) Foundation and the other by the Hellenic Observatory of the London School of Economics.
Kevin Featherstone is Eleftherios Venizelos Professor in Contemporary Greek Studies and Professor in European Politics in the European Institute at LSE, where he is also Director of the Hellenic Observatory. He has held visiting positions at the University of Minnesota; New York University; Harvard University; and, the European University Institute (Firenze). Before LSE, he held academic posts at the Universities of Stirling and Bradford. He was the first foreign member of the National Council for Research and Technology (ESET) in Greece, serving from 2010-2013. In 2013 he was made ‘Commander: Order of the Phoenix’ by the President of the Hellenic Republic. In 2014, the European Parliament selected one of his books (co-authored with Kenneth Dyson) as one of its ‘100 Books on Europe to Remember’. He has contributed regularly to international media on European and Greek politics.
The twitter Hashtag for this event is: #LSECyprus
Slides
A copy of Dr Hadjigeorgiou's slide presentation is available for download here.
Podcast
Listen to the podcast here.
Video
Watch the video here.
The Hellenic Observatory (@HO_LSE) is internationally recognised as one of the premier research centres on contemporary Greece and Cyprus. It engages in a range of activities, including developing and supporting academic and policy-related research; organisation of conferences, seminars and workshops; academic exchange through visiting fellowships and internships; as well as teaching at the graduate level through LSE's European Institute.