ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the conditions and relationships of female migrant workers who come to work in the homes of Greek Cypriot middle-class professional women who they address as 'madams'. Gender has been identified as a critical issue in circular migration. Cyprus had been a traditional exporter of migrants, and as a former British colony many Greek and Turkish Cypriots migrated to the United Kingdom and to other destinations. The social and demographic landscape on each side of the island has been changing in the last decade. The general findings indicate that racism is the primary and paramount issue in ordering the lives, opportunities, and experiences of female migrant domestic workers in Cyprus. The exploitation that migrant women suffer is a product of the racist and sexist understanding of appropriate roles, rights, and positions of foreign women. The embarrassment and social stigma surrounding sexual abuse suggest that the actual incidence of sexual abuse is probably higher than the incidence reported.
