UNITED NATIONS, Sept. 30 (Xinhua) -- The UN Security Council unanimously voted on Wednesday to approve a resolution demanding the end of sexual violence in armed conflict.

    U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, whose country holds the council's rotating presidency for September, chaired the 15-member body's session.

    "Even though women and children are rarely responsible for initiating armed conflict, they are often war's most vulnerable and violated victims," Clinton told the council.

    "The resolution we passed today represents a step forward in our global efforts to end violence perpetrated against women and children in conflict zones," she said.

    The U.S.-sponsored resolution 1888 reaffirmed that sexual violence, "when used or commissioned as a tactic of war ... or as a part of a widespread or systematic attack against civilian populations ... can significantly exacerbate situations of armed conflict and may impede the restoration of international peace and security."

    The resolution reaffirmed that "effective steps to prevent and respond to such acts of sexual violence can significantly contribute to the maintenance of international peace and security."

    Demanding "complete cessation by all parties to armed conflict of all acts of sexual violence with immediate effect," it requested UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to appoint a special representative to address sexual violence in armed conflict through cooperation with member states, all parties to armed conflict and civil society.

    In his remarks after the vote, the UN chief said that "despite some progress in responding to sexual violence in armed conflicts, the deliberate targeting of civilians continues unabated, including on a widespread or systematic basis."

    "With this resolution today, the Security Council is sending an unequivocal message -- a call to action," Ban said. "It is an ambitious platform for intensifying this struggle."

    The resolution was a follow up to Security Council resolution 1820, which recognized the links between sexual violence and sustainable peace and security.

    Resolution 1820, which was also sponsored by the United States, was unanimously adopted on June 19, 2008.