SW News: Alix Dorsainvil, an American nurse, and her daughter, who was abducted in Haiti almost two weeks ago, have been successfully released from captivity.
The nonprofit Christian organization El Roi Haiti said on the 27th of July, Dorsainvil, along with her daughter, was reportedly abducted while working at a ministry site located outside Port-au-Prince.
In an immediate reaction to the abduction, the US State Department ordered non-emergency government staff and family members of embassy officials to leave Haiti. This decision came only hours after the terrible incident happened, demonstrating the haste with which the matter was being handled.
Kidnapping for ransom has been an issue in Port-au-Prince and the surrounding area for many years. Criminal gangs continue to target Haitians for financial gain using abductions, with hundreds falling victim to this heinous crime each year, in an alarming trend. While non-locals have been abducted in the past, recent research indicates that the majority of people who go missing are now locals.
In the capital, approximately 80 percent of the territory is under the control of gangs, resulting in a significant influence over the region. Violent crimes, including kidnappings and armed robberies, are prevalent occurrences within this area.
According to a recent UN study, officials in Haiti have officially reported a considerable number of 1,014 kidnappings between January and June of this year. According to the most recent data, a total of 293 instances have been discovered. It is worth noting that 256 of the instances in this collection are women, while 13 involve girls and 24 involve boys.