Irish woman among nine kidnapped from orphanage in Haiti
Tánaiste Simon Harris said no stone would be left unturned in efforts to ensure the release of Gena Heraty, who oversees the Sainte-Helene orphanage in Kenscoff, close to the capital of Port-au-Prince.
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Mr Harris said he had been in contact with Ms Heraty's family.
Tánaiste Simon Harris said he had been in contact with Ms Heraty's family. Photo: Liam McBurney/PA.
Ms Heraty is originally from Westport in Co Mayo.
She oversees the orphanage which is is run by the humanitarian organisation Nos Petits Freres Et Soeurs (Our Little Brothers And Sisters).
According to reports, Ms Heraty, a three-year-old child and seven employees were also taken.
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The Tánaiste said: 'The kidnapping of Irish citizen Gena Heraty, along with seven of her colleagues and a three-year-old child from the grounds of an orphanage in Kenscoff, Haiti, is deeply worrying.
'Gena has served the people of Haiti for over 30 years.
'She has dedicated her life to supporting the most vulnerable people in Haiti and it is imperative that she is released immediately.
'This morning, I had a good conversation with Gena's sister Noreen and I assured her that all is being done to ensure Gena's release.'
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Mr Harris added: 'My department is in close contact with the Heraty family, local authorities and Nos Petits Freres Et Soeurs, the organisation Gena works for.
'The country's two ambassadors are also in close contact.
'We will continue to leave no stone unturned to ensure Gena and her colleagues are released.'
The Department of Foreign Affairs said it is aware of the incident and is providing consular assistance.
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Chloe Ayling was kidnapped to be sold as a sex slave. Then her trauma really began
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BBC News
14 hours ago
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Gena Heraty: 'Please release her' - charity appeals to kidnappers
A trustee of the board of NPH Ireland has appealed to the kidnappers of Irish missionary Gena Heraty to release Brennan described her as an "inspirational", "resilient", and "tough person" who wrote Heraty, who is originally from Westport in County Mayo, is the facility's director of an orphanage in Haiti, and was among several people taken in Kenscoff, near Haiti's capital, on Sunday morning, according to mayor Massillon Brennan has appealed "to everybody out there to do anything that they can to release Gena and all of the others". Ms Heraty oversees the orphanage, which is run by the humanitarian organisation Nos Petits Frères Et Soeurs (Our Little Brothers And Sisters).It is in the commune of Kenscoff, about 10km (6.2 miles) southeast of the capital, broke into the orphanage at about 15:30 local time (07:30 GMT) "without opening fire", Mayor Massillon Jean said, describing it as a "planned act".The attackers had broken through a wall to enter the property, Jean said, before heading to the building where Ms Heraty was staying. 'Gena would have known the dangers' Mr Brennan told BBC Radio Ulster's Good Morning Ulster Programme that "everybody in the area would know her, they know her as Madam Gena"."Yes Gena would have known of the dangers, and we had discussed this before, but this is now her life's work, and she would feel she certainly cannot abandon the children with who she was working - they're her family," he said."We appeal to everybody out there to do anything that they can to release Gena and all of the others and that little child. "We appeal to them to their own humanity - please, please, the work that Gena is doing is so important for your community, please release her," Mr Brennan said. Gang members are thought to be responsible for the attack, Haitian newspaper Le Nouvelliste has violence and kidnappings are also common in other areas in and around Port-au-Prince, where the UN says armed groups control about 85% of the the first half of 2025, UN figures show that almost 350 people were kidnapped in Haiti. At least 3,141 people were also killed in the same period, the UN Human Rights Office said.
The Guardian
a day ago
- The Guardian
Ireland calls on Haiti to secure release of group kidnapped from local orphanage
Ireland's foreign ministry has called on Haitian authorities to ensure 'everything is done' to secure the release of a group of people, including an Irish missionary and a three-year-old child, taken by gunmen who stormed a local orphanage. Simon Harris, the Irish foreign minister, spoke with his Haitian counterpart overnight, the government said in a statement, during which they agreed to stay in touch on their work to ensure the group is released, including missionary Gena Heraty who oversees the orphanage. 'It is imperative that she is released immediately,' Harris said separately on social media. The attacks took place over the weekend when gunmen stormed the orphanage in Kenscoff, a mountainous community on the outskirts of the capital Port-au-Prince that has been under deadly attacks by armed gangs since the start of this year. Father Richard Frechette, who works with Nos Petits Freres et Soeurs, the international charity that runs the orphanage, said that eight people had been kidnapped including the three-year-old boy, six staff members and Heraty, who heads special needs programs at the orphanage. 'We have not yet been able to reach a ransom agreement to free them,' he said. 'We hope for their fast and safe return,' the charity added on social media. 'Our commitment to the Haitian people remains as strong as ever.' Heraty, who has lived in Haiti since 1993, runs the orphanage, which cares for up to 270 children. She is the latest in a string foreign missionaries to become the victim of kidnapping in Haiti. Armed gangs have in recent years targeted a number of religious, charitable and medical aid groups, including hospitals, NGOs, nuns and priests from congregations based in and around the capital, as well as foreign missionaries. The majority of kidnapping victims are Haitian citizens who are seized and held for ransom, often picked opportunistically from the gridlocked traffic of the capital Port-au-Prince. More than 3,100 people were killed and 336 kidnapped for ransom in the first half of this year in Haiti, according to BINUH estimates, as the number of residents displaced by the extended conflict with the powerful gangs – largely grouped behind a coalition called Viv Ansanm, or 'Live Together' – nearly doubled to 1.3 million. A recent report by the UN office in Haiti (BINUH) found the situation remained 'very volatile' in Kenscoff while gangs intensified and expanded their attacks in central Haiti and the agricultural Artibonite region. BINUH considers Kenscoff of 'major strategic importance' as it overlooks the suburb of Petion-Ville, one of the capital's last hold-outs and the site of multiple embassies, banking institutions and hotels serving as diplomatic meeting places. Haitian authorities have repeatedly called for more resources to fight the gangs. A partially deployed and deeply under-equipped UN-backed mission kicked off over a year ago but has had little effect in slowing gangs' advances.
