This exhibition was created by the OSRSG-SVC and Team of Experts and presented at the Commission of the Status of Women (CSW) in March 2026. It highlights key milestones in the development of accountability for CRSV within the broader framework of the United Nations’ Women, Peace and Security agenda, including Security Council Resolutions 1325 (2000), 1820 (2008) and 1888 (2009). While some landmark judicial decisions predate resolution 1325, they are included because they laid essential legal foundations for the recognition of rape and other forms of sexual violence as war crimes, crimes against humanity and acts of genocide - developments that later enabled normative, institutional, and operational advances by the United Nations and Member States.

The exhibition presents a curated selection of emblematic cases drawn from international, hybrid, national, constitutional, and regional jurisdictions. The inclusion of national judgments reflect the critical role of domestic courts in applying and advancing international legal standards on conflict-related sexual violence. These cases were selected for their jurisprudential significance and illustrative value across regions and legal traditions. This selection does not intend to be exhaustive.

Rather than following a strict chronological sequence, the exhibition foregrounds thematic and legal developments in accountability for conflict-related sexual violence. These cases showcase accountability not only in international courts, but also in hybrid and domestic jurisdictions - from early rulings in Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia that first classified rape as a crime against humanity and a form of genocide, to more recent national and hybrid court convictions for sexual slavery, forced marriage, and forced pregnancy.

Though challenges remain, these cases affirm a powerful truth: justice for sexual violence in conflict is possible. Survivors have led the way. The world is beginning to listen — and act.