A women’s group is calling on the United Nations to adopt a strong arms trade control treaty to prevent human rights violations and sexual violence.

According to the Women’s Forum for Peace and Diplomacy, the adoption of a strong arms trade treaty is being hampered by a small number of countries that want more freedom in trading arms and ammunition in the run up to the deadline of Friday for completing the treaty.

It is an arm of the Ecumenical Campaign for a Strong and Effective Arms Trade Treaty that represents churches and related organizations in 35 nations.

The forum said that a number of governments including those of Cuba, Iran and Syria are attempting to weaken the treaty. The organization added that France and the U.K., which had pushed for a strong treaty, appear likely to support a weaker agreement as a trade-off would persuade China, Russia and the U.S. to sign the treaty.

In addition to such developments, the treaty appears unlikely to include ammunition in the list of controlled items, a factor a number of international organizations and European and African nations had pushed for.

A draft of the treaty circulated Tuesday did not include ammunition trade.

By Choi He-suk  (cheesuk@heraldcorp.com)