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UN-Resolution 1820

Declares sexualised violence to be a tactic of war and threat to world peace, calls for prosecution and sanctions.

By adopting Resolution 1820, the United Nations declared for the first time that the use of sexualised violence is a “tactic of war”. It is used to humiliate people, to exercise power over them, to instil fear into them, or to force them to relocate. The Resolution also represents a pioneering international acknowledgement that sexualised violence can pose a threat to world peace and international security.

Other core contents of UN Security Council Resolution 1820:

  • it demands that all parties to armed conflict immediately and completely cease all acts of sexualised violence against civilians, with immediate effect;
  • it declares that “rape and other forms of sexual violence can constitute war crimes [or] crimes against humanity”;
  • it calls on UN Member States to fulfil their obligation to prosecute perpetrators; and
  • it allows for country-specific sanctions against participants in armed conflicts who commit rape against women and girls.