‘Ending violence against women has been called the ‘missing MDG’; its inclusion is vital.’

On the occasion of the 58th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), on 11 March the Head of the Delegation of the European Union to the United Nations, Ambassador Thomas Mayr-Harting, and the Permanent Representative of Greece, Ambassador Spinellis, hosted a reception in honour of Mr Stavros Lambrinidis, the European Union Special Representative for Human Rights.

They spoke about the centrality of human rights and gender equality to international efforts to achieve peace and security and sustainable development.

They stressed the importance of human rights for all, especially for women and girls, to make greater progress in achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) and in shaping the post-2015 development agenda.

UN Women’s executive director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka spoke too. She highlighted the importance of ending violence against women, a global pandemic that affects one in three women and girls.

She said that ending violence against women has been called the ‘missing MDG’ and stressed the necessity of its inclusion in the post-2015 development framework currently under discussion.

And she read an adapted excerpt from the poem, I Got Flowers Today, written by Paulette Kelly in 1992, and dedicated to battered women.

I got flowers today. It wasn’t my birthday or any other special day. We had our first argument last night, And he said a lot of cruel things that really hurt me. I know he is sorry and didn’t mean the things he said. Because he sent me flowers today.

I got flowers today. It wasn’t our anniversary or any other special day. Last night, he threw me into a wall and started to choke me. It seemed like a nightmare. I couldn’t believe it was real. I woke up this morning sore and bruised all over. I know he must be sorry. Because he sent me flowers today.

I got flowers today, and it wasn’t Mother’s Day or any other special day. Last night, he beat me up again. And it was much worse than all the other times. If I leave him, what will I do? How will I take care of my kids? What about money? I’m afraid of him and scared to leave. But I know he must be sorry. Because he sent me flowers today.

I got flowers today. Today was a very special day. It was the day of my funeral. Last night, he finally killed me. He beat me to death. If only I had gathered enough courage and strength to leave him, I would not have gotten flowers…today.