A/RES/53/128 Page 10 Excessively Injurious or to Have Indiscriminate Effects20 and its implementation by those States that become parties to it; 20. Calls upon States and relevant United Nations bodies to continue to support national and international mine action efforts, including by continuing to contribute to the Voluntary Trust Fund for Assistance in Mine Clearance, and to take further action to promote gender- and age-appropriate mineawareness programmes, victim assistance and child-centred rehabilitation, thereby reducing the number and the plight of child victims; 21. Reaffirms that rape in the conduct of armed conflict constitutes a war crime and that under certain circumstances it constitutes a crime against humanity and an act of genocide, as defined in the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide,21 and calls upon all States to take all measures required for the protection of women and children from all acts of gender-based violence, including rape, sexual exploitation and forced pregnancy, to strengthen mechanisms to investigate and punish all those responsible and bring the perpetrators to justice; 22. Condemns the abduction of children in situations of armed conflict, and urges States, international organizations and other concerned parties to take all appropriate measures to secure the unconditional release of all abducted children; 23. Recommends that whenever sanctions are imposed their impact on children be assessed and monitored and that humanitarian exceptions be child-focused and formulated with clear guidelines for their application; 24. Recalls the importance of preventive measures such as early warning systems, preventive diplomacy and education for peace to prevent conflicts and their negative impact on the rights of the child, and urges Governments and the international community to promote sustainable human development; 25. Calls upon all States, in accordance with the norms of international humanitarian law, to integrate in the training and gender-sensitized education programmes of their armed forces, including those for peacekeeping, instruction on responsibilities towards the civilian population, in particular women and children; 26. Invites Member States and relevant United Nations bodies and non-governmental organizations to consider the issue of how the impact of armed conflict on children can best be integrated into events designed to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the World Summit for Children and of the entry into force of the Convention on the Rights of the Child; V REFUGEE AND INTERNALLY DISPLACED CHILDREN 20 See The United Nations Disarmament Yearbook, vol. 5: 1980 (United Nations publication, Sales No. E.81.IX.4), appendix VII. 21 Resolution 260 A (III). /...