UNITED NATIONS, (CMC) — The United Nations says this year has seen a staggering ten-fold surge in sexual violence against children in Haiti during an unprecedented crisis which has also seen armed gangs continue to terrorise communities amid a growing humanitarian disaster.

“Children are being used by armed gangs in Haiti, and we are witnessing some recent troubling trends, notably the use of sexual violence, including rape and collective rape, as a weapon of war by gangs,” said Virginia Gamba, UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict.

Highlighting the impact on children of the extreme levels of brutality and lawlessness across the French-speaking Caribbean country, she called on “all actors to ensure that children are protected from violence, including sexual violence and clashes, and that they are not involved in hostilities”.

The UN said political instability continues to plague Haiti, as members of the transitional governing council, which was formed in April, removed interim Prime Minister Garry Conille from office amid reported in-fighting, replacing him with businessman Alix Didier Fils-Aime.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres urged all Haitian stakeholders to work constructively together to advance the political transition, his spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric told journalists at the regular news briefing in New York on Monday.

“Overcoming their differences and putting the country first remains critical to that end,” Dujarric said.

Conille, a former UN official, was sworn in as interim Prime Minister in June and the UN said that the crisis in Haiti has also disrupted essential services, including education and healthcare, leaving over 300,000 children without access to schools.

It said gangs have targeted hospitals and schools in the capital Port-au-Prince and surrounding areas, and schools have turned into temporary shelters for the thousands displaced by violence.

The UN said this surge “reflects the stark vulnerability of minors in a country where approximately 2.7 million people, including 1.6 million women and children, live in areas under gang control.

“Alarmingly, children under 18 are estimated to make up between a third and half of the gang members,” the UN said.

Gamba called on all actors and those with influence “to do everything to prevent grave violations against children” and to immediately hand them over to civilian child protection officials.

She underscored the urgent need for “safe and unobstructed humanitarian access to provide critical services” and renewed the call for enhanced voluntary contributions to the UN-administered trust fund, which supports the Multinational Security Support mission (MSS) to bolster Haiti’s security and respond to humanitarian needs.”

The UN said the MSS mission, which was re-authorised by the UN Security Council in September for another year, is “seen as pivotal to stabilizing the country.”

But the UN said it lacks sufficient police officers and funding, restricting its operations.

The UN said the humanitarian impact of the violence extends far beyond immediate threats.

In October, armed clashes in Port-au-Prince’s neighborhoods of Solino and Tabarre, and the adjoining district of Arcahaie led to mass displacements, “compounding existing aid challenges,” the UN said.

It said estimates indicate that over 12,600 people were displaced in Solino and Tabarre alone, with many forced into makeshift shelters.

The UN International Organization for Migration (IOM) reported that 58 per cent of these displaced individuals found refuge in 14 sites, including newly-created shelters following the outbreaks of violence.

The UN said Arcahaie witnessed a parallel wave of displacement, with over 21,000 people fleeing their homes.