2025 Haiti orphanage kidnapping

The 2025 Haiti orphanage kidnapping took place on August 3, 2025, around 15:30 local time, as attackers broke into the private run Sainte-Hélène orphanage, located next to Haiti's capital, Port-au-Prince. The orphanage is run by Irish missionary Gena Heraty, who was kidnapped along with a 3 year old child with disabilities and 7 other employees including a nurse.

Background

The orphanage in Haiti is managed by "Our little brothers and sisters" organization and is home to about 270 children, many of them with disabilities.[1][2] Gena Heraty who won in 2010 the Rehab People of the Year Awards, was born in County Mayo, Ireland, and serving as head of the children with reduced mobility wing since 1993. In 2013 during a robbery attempt of the orphanage, she was brutally assaulted as one member was killed.[1][3]

The kidnapping

According to reports the attackers broke through the wall, Kidnapped 9 employees and run away without firing a shot. The act was described by acting Mayor of Kenscoff: "The kidnappers entered without firing a single shot, after breaching the orphanage's perimeter wall, and kidnapped the staff there, then left with their hostages [...]".[4]

Ongoing crisis

The kidnapping is another event in an ongoing escalating gang violence crisis in Haiti. The UN reports confirm that over 3,100 people were killed between January and June 2025.[5][6] During that time period around 350 kidnapping cases were recorded, when the highest numbers were between April and June 2025, accounting 175-185 cases.[5][6][7] The attackers belong to gangs such as Grand Ravine and Village de Dieu who are part of the Viv Ansanm group that was lately declared as a terrorist organization by the U.S.[2][8]

Response

Simon Harris, the Irish Deputy Prime Minister condemned the kidnapping saying it is "deeply worrying" and confirmed high-level diplomatic engagement, with efforts underway to secure Heraty's release.[9][10]

UNICEF along with Haiti's Institute of Social Welfare and Research worked to relocate survivors and safeguard dozens of children and staff from the orphanage.[2][11]

Heraty family: In a statement they released it was said that the situation is very serious and worrying. They mentioned they are working closely with the authorities and the NPH network in both Haiti and Ireland. They also asked people to respect their privacy and be careful while talks are still going on. They ended by asking everyone to keep Gena and her coworkers in their thoughts and prayers during this hard time.[12]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Irish missionary among nine kidnapped from Haiti orphanage". www.bbc.com. August 4, 2025. Retrieved August 4, 2025.
  2. ^ a b c "8 including an Irish missionary are missing after gunmen storm a Haiti orphanage". AP News. August 4, 2025. Retrieved August 4, 2025.
  3. ^ McQuinn, Órla RyanCormac. "'All is being done' to secure release of Irish woman kidnapped from Haiti orphanage, says Tánaiste". The Irish Times. Retrieved August 4, 2025.
  4. ^ "Haiti - FLASH : 9 people including a child kidnapped from an orphanage in Kenscoff - HaitiLibre.com : Haiti news 7/7". HaitiLibre.com. Retrieved August 4, 2025.
  5. ^ a b "Kidnappers Strike Orphanage as Haiti Unravels". The St Kitts Nevis Observer. August 4, 2025. Retrieved August 4, 2025.
  6. ^ a b "Irish missionary among nine kidnapped in Haiti orphanage raid". France 24. August 4, 2025. Retrieved August 4, 2025.
  7. ^ "'We ask you keep Gena in your hearts' – Family of Mayo charity worker kidnapped in Haiti say situation is 'deeply worrying'". Irish Independent. August 4, 2025. Retrieved August 4, 2025.
  8. ^ "Haitian police arrest a former senator accused of working with gangs to attack a peaceful community". AP News. August 3, 2025. Retrieved August 4, 2025.
  9. ^ "9 People, Including 3-Year-Old Child, Kidnapped from Orphanage by Armed Attackers: Reports". People.com. Retrieved August 4, 2025.
  10. ^ Neeson, Anthony. "Fears for Irish Woman Kidnapped in Haiti". Irish Echo Newspaper. Retrieved August 4, 2025.
  11. ^ "'All being done' to ensure Irish woman's release in Haiti". August 4, 2025. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  12. ^ Murphy, Mark. "Diplomatic efforts underway to free kidnapped Irish missionary in Haiti". The Irish Post. Retrieved August 5, 2025.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.