Canadian humanitarian worker and former United Nations staff member Peter Dalglish has been charged with sexually abusing children in Nepal following a months-long investigation, according to authorities.
Dalglish, 60, was arrested without charges in April on suspicion of pedophilia. Central Investigation Bureau of Nepal Police (CIB) Chief Pushkar Karki told Global News last month the Ontario native was taken from a home in a district north of Kathmandu.
Police originally said in a statement that two girls, 12 and 14, were “rescued” from the home. However, authorities later said that Dalglish was allegedly found with two boys in the home.
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Police allege children were lured with a promise of education and foreign travel before they were sexually abused.
Karki said Dalglish was charged with raping the two boys and faces up to 13 years in prison if convicted. The humanitarian worker has denied the charges.
Dalglish’s humanitarian work stretches back decades. The London, Ont., native worked as a UN representative in Afghanistan and in Nepal before leaving to join a non-government organization.
A spokesperson for the UN confirmed to Global News Dalglish was no longer affiliated with the global organization.
“We stand strongly against any sexual abuse,” Stephane Dujarric said in an email. “Any allegations need to be thoroughly investigated.”
In 2016, then-governor general David Johnston inducted Dalglish as a member of the Order of Canada, for “his efforts to alleviate child poverty worldwide, notably by establishing and leading Street Kids International.”
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Dalglish, along with two partners, launched Street Kids International in 1988, a charity that focused on helping street youth to lead better lives. In 1994, Street Kids International received the Peter F. Drucker Award for Non-Profit Innovation.
In 2008, Dalglish received an honorary degree from Dalhousie University in recognition for “his visionary work helping children around the world.”
–with a file from the Associated Press