On average, one child is being forcibly displaced every minute as violence rages in conflict-torn Haiti, and some 300,000 children have already been affected, the United Nations Children’s Agency warned on Monday.

According to UNICEF, more than half of the 6 million people forced from their homes by violence are displaced children, especially in the capital Port-au-Prince, which is largely controlled by gangs.

“The number of internally displaced children in Haiti has increased by an estimated 60 percent since March — or one child every minute — as a result of continued violence by armed groups,” the report said.

Haiti has long struggled with gang violence, but the situation worsened in late February when armed groups launched coordinated attacks in Port-au-Prince, saying they wanted to overthrow then-Prime Minister Ariel Henry.

“Children in Haiti continue to face multiple threats, including horrific violence and critical levels of displacement,” said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell.

‘The humanitarian catastrophe unfolding before our eyes is taking a devastating toll on children. Displaced children desperately need a safe and protective environment and increased support and funding from the international community.’

When displaced children and adolescents are forced to relocate—often without their families—they are at risk of dropping out of school and being exposed to sexual assault, exploitation, and abuse.

Moreover, UNICEF warns, more and more young people are joining armed groups that are spreading terror in a country where 90 percent of the population lives in poverty and three million children need humanitarian assistance.

Kenyan police finally arrived in Haiti last month, carrying out a long-awaited international mission to help stabilize the Caribbean nation.

The violence in Port-au-Prince has affected food security and access to humanitarian aid, with much of the city in the hands of gangs accused of abuses including murder, rape, looting and kidnapping.

The international Kenyan force, which was given the green light by the UN Security Council last year, has been held up for months by challenges in deploying it to Kenyan courts.