UN human rights chief Volker Turk said the Gang Suppression Force remains well below its target strength, with only about 1,500 of a planned 5,500 personnel deployed. (EPA Images pic)

GENEVA: Haiti's gang violence crisis has left at least 5,700 people dead or wounded this year while more than 1,000 women and girls have been raped, UN human rights chief Volker Turk said Friday.

The figures, compiled by the UN mission in Haiti up to Sept 11, also include 230 kidnappings, though Turk said "the real figures are likely much higher".

Addressing the UN Human Rights Council, Turk warned that gangs continue to expand despite the deployment of an international security force intended to help Haitian authorities restore order.