UNITED NATIONS - Haiti continues to see alarming levels of gender-based violence, with survivors and those at risk having limited access to the essential support they need, a UN spokesperson said Thursday.

Between January and September, over 7,400 cases of gender-based violence were reported in Haiti, an average of about 27 per day, said Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson for the UN secretary-general, at a daily briefing.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reported that sexual violence made up around half of the cases, and nearly two-thirds of these involved gang rape. Two out of every three victims were displaced people, he said.

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During the same period, UN humanitarian partners were able to reach only 7 percent of the 833,000 people that the United Nations aims to reach with specialized support to address gender-based violence this year, said the spokesperson.

The response remains critically underfunded, with an overall gap of $13.5 million - 70 percent of the over 19 million dollars needed for this year, Dujarric said.