UN Security Council Resolution 1820

From wikigender.org

Jump to: navigation, search

United Nations Security Council Resolution 1820 was unanimously adopted on June 19, 2008 due to weak areas concerning sexual violence prevention and response in SCR 1325 (2000).

SCR 1820 recognizes that sexual violence can impede international peace and security, and therefore requires a security response to protect girls and women from sexual violence during armed conflict. For the first time, sexual violence is not discussed as an inevitable feature of conflict, but as unacceptable and preventable. The resolution covers key elements:

Recognizes sexual violence as a tactic of war, allowing the intervention of the Security Council, and excluding sexual violence crimes from amnesty provisions
Recognizes that sexual violence may be categorized as a war crime, crime against humanity, and act of genocide
Demands protection and prevention measures from parties of armed conflict
Demands appropriate mechanisms to provide protection from violence in refugee and displaced person camps.
Reaffirms the need for women’s full and equal participation in peace-building processes.
Reaffirms commitment to SCR 1325.

The Secretary-General’s report on the implementation of the resolution was released in August 2009. The report is confined to the Council’s agenda, and therefore only discusses sexual violence against civilians during and in the aftermath of armed conflicts even though sexual violence also takes place before the start of an armed conflict. The report demonstrates the numerous challenges faced by the community in implementing SCR 1820 and contains promising recommendations.