Nine individuals, including an Irish missionary and a three-year-old child, were abducted from a Haiti orphanage located near the capital, Port-au-Prince, on Sunday morning, according to local officials. Gena Heraty, the director of the Sainte-Hélène orphanage in Kenscoff, was among those taken during the early hours, as reported by Mayor Massillon Jean.
Details of the Abduction
In total, seven staff members and a young child were kidnapped from the privately-operated facility, which provides care for over 240 children, including those with disabilities. The attack occurred when intruders breached a wall to enter the orphanage around 15:30 local time (07:30 GMT). Mayor Jean described the incident as a “planned act,” noting that the perpetrators did not fire any shots during their intrusion.
Response and Background
Gang involvement is suspected in this incident, as reported by Haitian newspaper Le Nouvelliste. Ms. Heraty, who has dedicated nearly three decades to humanitarian work in Haiti, reached out to the organization that oversees the orphanage, Our Little Brothers and Sisters, to confirm her kidnapping. As of now, no ransom demands have been made.
The Irish Department of Foreign Affairs is aware of the situation and is providing consular assistance to those affected. Gena Heraty, originally from Liscarney in County Mayo, has been recognized with several awards for her humanitarian efforts, including the Oireachtas Human Dignity Award. Despite increasing gang violence and threats to her safety, she previously expressed her commitment to Haiti, stating,
“The children are why I’m still here. We’re in this together,”
in an interview with the Irish Times in 2022.
Since early 2025, the commune of Kenscoff, situated on the southern outskirts of Port-au-Prince, has been plagued by frequent incursions and attacks from criminal gangs that have taken control of large areas of the capital and its surroundings. Although Haitian police, alongside Kenyan police forces and foreign contractors utilizing weaponized drones, have attempted to dislodge these gangs, their efforts have largely been unsuccessful.
Kidnappings and gang violence are prevalent in many regions of and around Port-au-Prince, where the United Nations estimates that armed groups dominate approximately 85% of the city. Previously, on July 7, six UNICEF employees were abducted during an authorized mission in a gang-controlled area of Port-au-Prince. While one employee was released the next day, the remaining five were held captive for an additional three weeks.
UN statistics reveal that nearly 350 individuals were kidnapped in Haiti during the first half of 2025 alone. Furthermore, the UN Human Rights Office reported that at least 3,141 people were killed in the same timeframe. UN Human Rights chief Volker Türk has raised alarms regarding the escalating gang violence, warning that it poses a severe threat to the nation’s stability, with a record 1.3 million individuals displaced due to the unrest as of June. Families are reportedly struggling to survive in makeshift shelters while facing increasing risks to their health and safety.