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 in 2008, the Security Council of the United Nations (UN) declared for the first time that the use of sexualised violence is a “tactic of war”, used to humiliate people, to exercise power over them, or to force them to relocate. The Resolution also acknowledges that sexualised violence can pose a threat to world peace and international security.

Other core contents of UN Security Council Resolution 1820:

• all parties to armed conflict should immediately and completely cease all acts of sexualised violence against civilians.
• rape and other forms of sexual violence can constitute war crimes or crimes against humanity.
• UN member states should fulfil their obligation to prosecute perpetrators.
• country-specific sanctions are permitted against participants in armed conflicts who commit rape.

Continue reading about the UN Resolution 1325.

Updated: 10/2023