Nine individuals, including an Irish missionary and a three-year-old child, were abducted from an orphanage near Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on Sunday, according to reports from officials.
Mayor Massillon Jean confirmed that Gena Heraty, the director of the Sainte-Hélène orphanage in Kenscoff, was among those seized during the early morning hours. The facility is a privately-run organization.
Seven employees, along with a child, were also taken from the orphanage, which provides care for over 240 children, including some with disabilities.
Reports indicate that the assailants breached the orphanage at approximately 3:30 PM local time (7:30 AM GMT) “without opening fire,” in what Mayor Jean characterized as a “planned act.”
The attackers reportedly gained access by breaking through a wall, proceeding to the building where Ms. Heraty was residing, according to Mayor Jean.
Haitian newspaper Le Nouvelliste has reported that gang members are suspected to be responsible for the attack.
A source informed AFP news agency that Ms. Heraty, a resident of Haiti since 1993, contacted Our Little Brothers and Sisters, the organization overseeing the orphanage, early Sunday to confirm her abduction.
At this time, no demands or ransom requests have been issued, the source stated.
Ireland’s foreign affairs department has acknowledged the situation and is providing consular support.
Gena Heraty, a native of Liscarney, County Mayo, has been recognized with numerous accolades for her humanitarian efforts, including the Oireachtas Human Dignity Award.
In a previous interview with The Irish Times, she expressed her unwavering commitment to Haiti, despite escalating gang violence and threats to her personal safety.
“The children are why I’m still here. We’re in this together,” she stated in the 2022 interview.
Since early 2025, the Kenscoff commune, located on the southern periphery of Port-au-Prince, has experienced persistent incursions and raids by criminal gangs, which already exert control over much of the capital and vast areas of the country’s interior.
Haitian police, supported by Kenyan counterparts and foreign contractors utilizing weaponized drones, have made repeated attempts to dislodge the gangs, but have so far been unsuccessful.
Gang violence and kidnappings are prevalent throughout Port-au-Prince, where the UN estimates that armed groups control approximately 85% of the city.
On July 7, six UNICEF employees were kidnapped during an authorized mission in an area controlled by armed groups in Port-au-Prince. While one employee was released the following day, five others were held captive for three weeks.
UN figures indicate that nearly 350 people were kidnapped in Haiti in the first half of 2025. The UN Human Rights Office reports that at least 3,141 people were killed during the same period.
UN Human Rights chief Volker Türk has warned that the surge in gang violence threatens to further destabilize the nation, with a record 1.3 million people displaced by the disorder as of June.
The UN has stated that families are “struggling to survive in makeshift shelters while facing mounting health and protection risks.”
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