Integration of female migrant domestic workers
The presence of immigrant women in recent migration flows in EU countries is becoming increasingly visible. Many of them work under precarious conditions as cleaners, house-keepers and care-givers. How can their integration into the labour market be fostered? How can their participation in society be facilitated?
Addressing these complex issues, the Mediterranean Institute of Gender Studies (MIGS) in Nicosia (Cyprus) in collaboration with Intercollege is coordinating a transnational project entitled “Integration of Female Migrant Domestic Workers: Strategies for Employment and Civic Participation”, cofunded under the INTI Preparatory Actions 2005 for the integration of third country nationals of the European Commission. Project partners are four sociopolitical and scientific organizations in Greece, Italy, Spain and Germany. The project aims to develop recommendations for an integration model responding to the specific needs of female migrant domestic workers in the five participating countries.
The Aims and Objectives of the project are:
To stimulate European teamwork involving a wide range of actors, including domestic workers themselves;
To disseminate information and lessons learned, exchange of policies, best practices in integration methods and processes;
To put forth strategies that can be adapted to the different contexts of the partner countries and other EU member states.
Project Activities
The project will encompass the following activities:
a) Five three-day study visits to each partner country in which all project partners meet in order to explore the particular situation of female migrant domestic workers in each country and for the exchange of information, best practices and strategies.
b) Two two-day meetings in Cyprus amongst the policy experts from each partner team during which best practices and lessons learned will be highlighted and evaluated, strategies for the development of integration models will be analyzed and the results from the mapping surveys will be compared.
c) One training workshop in each partner country to raise awareness on existing policies, best practices and strategies among key stakeholders including policy makers, governmental and NGO officials, and trade unionists and to provide a platform for female migrant domestic workers and employer associations to voice their views and experiences.
d) Parallel awareness campaigns using leaflets and posters for the dissemination of information.
e) Publication of a resource book which will incorporate the activities of the project including the best practices and integration models of each country and policy recommendations and strategies for the future.
f) Final conference involving the participation of all relevant stakeholders with the main theme that of developing an integration model responsive to the particular needs of female migrant domestic workers.
Project leaders
M.I.G.S., Mediterranean Institute of Gender Studies (Cyprus)
Intercollege, (Cyprus)
Partners
Antigone (Greece)
CREA, Centre of Research in Theories and Practices that Overcome Inequalities - University of Barcelona (Spain)
ISIS, Institute for Social Infrastructure (Germany)
Lai-momo (Italy)
The Filipino National Workers Association (Cyprus)