The United Nations said on Wednesday that gang violence in Haiti has forced more than 700,000 people from their homes, half of them children.
The chaos that has swept through one of the world's poorest countries, with gangs taking over the capital Port-au-Prince, has led to the collapse of the country's security and health systems.
According to the UN's International Organisation for Migration, some 702,973 people had been displaced within the Caribbean nation by early September.
The latest figures show a 22 per cent increase in the number of internally displaced people since June, the organisation added, noting that the crisis reflects the scale of the deteriorating humanitarian situation.
It called on the international community to pay more attention to the crisis.
"The sharp increase in displacement underscores the urgent need for a sustained humanitarian response," said Gregoire Goodstein, head of the International Organisation for Migration in Haiti.
"We call on the international community to step up its support for displaced people in Haiti and host communities, who continue to show remarkable resilience in the face of these challenges," he added.
According to the report, some 75 per cent of displaced people are now in the country's provinces.
The organisation noted that the remainder are in Port-au-Prince, where "the situation remains precarious" and where people often live in overcrowded neighbourhoods with limited or no access to basic services.
The organisation added that 83 per cent of the displaced are being hosted by families.
It said that "the pressure on resources is enormous, with the majority of host families reporting significant difficulties, including food shortages, overcrowded health facilities and lack of basic supplies in local markets".
The UN human rights office said on Friday that more than 3,600 people had been killed in 'senseless' gang violence in Haiti this year.
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