Irish officials are working to establish contacts with charity workers in Haiti after an Irish woman was one of eight people kidnapped from an orphanage in the capital Port-au-Prince.
Gena Heraty, a missionary who is director of the Sainte-Hélène orphanage run by Nos Petits Frères et Soeurs (NPFS, Our Little Brothers and Sisters) in Kenscoff, was taken with seven others, including a three-year-old child, on Sunday.
Diplomats stationed in Dublin, Washington, DC, and London are leading the efforts.
It is believed the gang who led the kidnapping are associates of the Viv Ansanm gang in the town of Kenscoff.
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The gang, a powerful amalgamation of several criminal groups in the country, seized control of most of Kenscoff earlier this year. No ransom demands have been made.
Sources said a subtle diplomatic approach, using intermediaries on the ground who may have contacts with the kidnappers, is the preferred option.
Haiti’s lack of a fully functioning government makes more formal diplomatic engagement difficult, a source said, although some official liaison is taking place.
The perilous security situation on the ground means the option of sending an Emergency Consular Assistance Team (Ecat) is not on the table yet.
These teams typically comprise experienced diplomats backed up by Defence Forces troops who work with local authorities to secure the release of Irish citizens. In the past Ecats have been deployed to assist Irish citizens in Afghanistan, Sudan and Iraq.
Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Harris said it was “an extremely sensitive case” that is “being worked on tirelessly by our teams in Dublin, Washington and London”.
“Throughout the day, both my officials and I have been in close contact with Gena’s family. We are also in touch with local authorities and Nos Petits Frères et Sœurs, the organisation Gena works for,” he said. “This evening, I want to reiterate our commitment to ensuring everything possible is done to bring about the release of Gena, her co-workers and indeed the three-year-old child at the centre of this case.
“Gena is a deeply courageous and kind-hearted person who has given so much of her life to the humanitarian work that she cares so much about.”
In her mid-50s, Ms Heraty is a member of Viatores Christi, a lay missionary group which has its headquarters in Dublin.
In a statement, Viatores Christi said Ms Heraty has dedicated her life “to children and adults with disabilities through her leadership of NPFS’s special needs programme”.
The organisation praised her “commitment, compassion and steady presence”, saying she has “made a lasting difference to many families in the region”.
“We are thinking of Gena, her family and colleagues, and the adults and children in her care,” the statement added.
On graduating from the University of Limerick with a degree in business studies in 1991, Ms Heraty joined Viatores Christi and began working with the Simon Community.
She was introduced to the French charity NPFS and then began working at the orphanage in Haiti.
Writing about her work for The Irish Times in 2007, she said: “Once I saw those kids, I knew I had to help them.” Haiti “is often so brutal. The challenge is to take the pain and see what you can do to relieve it – your own pain and the pain of Haiti. We can’t change Haiti,” she wrote.
Ms Heraty was named Humanitarian of the Year at the Irish Red Cross Humanitarian Awards in 2019. Announcing her win at the time, the judges said she was “known all over Haiti for challenging prejudice against people with physical and intellectual disabilities”.
Ms Heraty has won numerous other awards including the Oireachtas Human Dignity Award, the UL Alumni Award for Outstanding Contribution to Humanity, the Michael Davitt International Award at the Mayo People of the Year Awards and a People of the Year Award.
In November 2013, she survived a brutal assault at the orphanage complex that left one of her colleagues dead. Two men, one armed with a hammer, attempted to rob the centre.
Ms Heraty was punched and hit a number of times with the hammer before retreating to a nearby bedroom to protect some of the children. When her colleague Edward Major tried to intervene, the attackers turned on him, striking several times with the hammer. He died of his injuries.
Ms Heraty described the attack as “absolutely brutal”. She eventually managed to get away from her attackers after some of the children came to her rescue.
In an interview with The Irish Times in 2022, she said had no intention of leaving Haiti despite escalating gang violence, water shortages and the threat of being kidnapped.
“The children are why I’m still here. We’re in this together,” she said at the time.
