Haiti rape victim talks to BBC reporter in 2006

In a report released on Thursday, Amnesty said it recognised the challenges Haiti faces with the ongoing public security crisis, a succession of humanitarian disasters as well as decades of entrenched poverty.

But the organisation said these important concerns 'cannot be allowed to drown out the needs of Haitian girls and the obligation to safeguard their human rights'.

The report, dubbed 'Don't turn your back on girls: Sexual violence against girls in Haiti', said Haiti is one of the few countries in the Americas which does not have specific laws against domestic violence.

"We recognise that the government faces serious challenges."

"It is trying to strengthen development, good governance and the rule of law - none of which could be fully achieved without the protection of girls' and women's rights," said Gerardo Ducos, Amnesty's Caribbean researcher.

'Weak and ineffectual'

According to figures compiled by the Haitian Women's Solidarity Movement (SOFA), between January and June 2008, there were 105 rapes, with 58 of the victims under age 18.

But Amnesty said the real scale of the problem is not fully known because of a lack of central figures.

Every day someone reminds me that I've been raped   Rape victim

The police unit in charge of protecting minors, the Minors' protection brigade, was also said to be 'woefully understaffed'.

If complaints are investigated, the report said, the response of the justice system is 'weak and largely ineffectual'.

"Sexual violence against girls, particularly rape, is pervasive in Haiti and it can no longer be ignored," Mr Ducos noted.

He believes that given the lack of official help, it is perhaps not surprising that the perpetrators are not brought to justice.

Shunned by society

For many girls, surviving sexual violence means keeping silent and many are encouraged or threatened into not identifying their attackers.

One woman who went through the ordeal, a 22-year-old called 'Rose', said rape victims are often shunned by society.

"Being raped, it makes you ... a person without rights, a person rejected from society and now in the neighbourhood I live in, it's as though I am raped every day because every day someone reminds me that I've been raped," she said.

Amnesty said that widespread reports of groups of armed men raping women started under the military regime between 1991 and 1994.

But it has now become a common practice among gangs of young men, especially in the run up to Carnival each year.

The organisation urged the country's leaders to address the lack of confidence in the police and justice system, 'so girls can rely on them when they're seeking help and redress'.