Efforts intensified by the deputy prime minister to exhaust all possibilities in the search for a missing Irish woman abducted in Haiti.
Ireland Mobilizes Efforts to Secure Release of Kidnapped Missionary Gena Heraty
Gena Heraty, an Irish missionary and the director of the St Helene Orphanage near Port-au-Prince, Haiti, was kidnapped alongside seven staff members and a three-year-old child by armed gang members on August 3, 2025.
The orphanage, run by the humanitarian organisation Nos Petits Frères et Soeurs (Our Little Brothers and Sisters), serves over 200 vulnerable children. Heraty's abduction has been particularly distressing amid Haiti’s ongoing crisis of gang violence, lawlessness, and political instability.
The Irish government is taking active steps to secure Heraty's release. The Department of Foreign Affairs may send an Emergency Consular Assistance Team (Ecat) to the region, composed of experienced diplomats backed up by Defence Forces troops who work with local authorities. The Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Simon Harris, described the kidnapping as "deeply worrying" and stated it is "imperative" the hostages are released immediately.
Negotiations with the criminal gang through local intermediaries, including charities, are being considered as the most realistic option. However, as of August 9, no demands or ransom requests have been made regarding Heraty's kidnapping.
The efforts to secure Heraty's release are being led by officials in the US embassy in Washington DC, along with staff in Dublin. The Irish government has also reached out to the UN security force on the ground in Haiti, considering a possible rescue mission as another option.
Local and international humanitarian organizations are calling for the unconditional freedom of the hostages. Hospitals run by the orphanage’s network and other aid groups have closed their services across Haiti as a protest and demand for justice. The family of Gena Heraty and local communities in Ireland are holding prayers and mass services seeking her safe return.
Heraty has long expressed commitment to the children she cares for and the larger cause of justice and progress in Haiti. She oversees the orphanage's Irish branch, NPH Ireland. Ecat teams have been previously deployed to assist Irish citizens in Afghanistan, Sudan, and Iraq.
Simon Harris assured Gena Heraty's family that all is being done to ensure her release. The latest updates indicate that as of August 9, Gena Heraty and the others remain in captivity, with both national and international parties closely monitoring and working towards their release.
The Irish government's efforts to secure the release of Gena Heraty, an Irish missionary, has extended into the realms of politics, general-news, and crime-and-justice, as she was kidnapped in Haiti by armed gang members. Local and international humanitarian organizations are advocating for the unconditional release of Heraty and the other hostages amid Haiti's ongoing crisis, calling attention to these matters in the global community.
