The number of children displaced by violence in Haiti has nearly doubled to 680,000, according to a new UNICEF report released Wednesday that warns minors are increasingly facing hunger, violence and recruitment by armed groups in the Caribbean nation.

Overall, around 6 million Haitians — half the country’s population — need humanitarian assistance, including more than 3.3 million children, UNICEF said.

During a visit to one of the displaced camps, UNICEF Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean, Roberto Benes, sounded alarm bells over the severe humanitarian crisis facing children, saying the situation was at risk of being forgotten about.

Gang violence has displaced a record 1.3 million Haitians in recent years, with many cramming into makeshift shelters after their communities were razed.

At least one in four children in Haiti is out of school, with violence forcing more than 1,080 schools to close this year, according to UNICEF’s report.

During the last school year, more than 1,600 institutions were closed and 25 were occupied by armed groups, affecting more than 243,400 students and 7,548 teachers, UNICEF found.

Meanwhile, 84 schools this year are being used as makeshift shelters, with displacement disrupting education for nearly 500,000 school-age children, the report said.

AP Video shot by Pierre Luxama