9 People, Including 3-Year-Old Child, Kidnapped from Orphanage by Armed Attackers: Reports 

Nine people — including a 3-year-old child — have been kidnapped from an orphanage in Haiti, according to multiple reports.

The abduction occurred on Sunday, August 3, at the Sainte Hélène orphanage in Kenscoff. According to Le Nouvelliste, the victims were taken by “armed bandits,” citing Kenscoff Mayor Jean Masillon and a source close to the facility.

Located near the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince, the orphanage is run by the humanitarian group Nos Petits Frères et Soeurs, which translates to “Our Little Brothers and Sisters,” RTÉ reported.

Ireland’s Tánaiste, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Minister for Defence Simon Harris confirmed in a news release that Irish citizen Gena Heraty and a young child were among those kidnapped.

RTÉ noted that Heraty, who is in her mid-50s and originally from Westport on Ireland’s west coast, oversees the orphanage.

“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,” Harris said in the statement.

“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,” he added.

Harris also shared that he spoke with Heraty’s sister, Noreen, assuring her that everything possible is being done to ensure Gena’s safe return. “My Department is in close contact with the Heraty family, local authorities, and Nos Petits Frères et Sœurs, the [organization] Gena works for,” he said.

“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,” Harris concluded.

Mayor Masillon described the kidnapping as a “planned act,” Irish Independent reported. He said the attackers entered the orphanage at around 3:30 a.m. local time without firing weapons. “They broke through a wall to enter the property before heading to the building where the director was staying, leaving with nine hostages,” he said.

Heraty has been living in Haiti since 1993 and runs the orphanage, which houses up to 270 children, according to the report.

RTÉ also cited the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in reporting that at least 3,141 people have been killed in Haiti during the first half of this year due to escalating gang violence.

In recent months, gangs have reportedly begun launching attacks on previously peaceful communities, according to the United Nations.

Ireland’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and Nos Petits Frères et Soeurs did not immediately respond to requests for comment.