Peter Dalglish United Nations worker arrested Child Sexual Exploitation investigation
A humanitarian worker long hailed for his work with children is facing charges in a child sexual exploitation investigation.
Peter Dalglish spent a lot of time in the Maritimes over the years and was closely associated with Dalhousie University.
Dalglish has been known as an advocate for the world’s poorest children for decades.
“Poor children are desperate children, and they’ll do almost anything to survive, including getting involved in sex for money,” said Dalglish when he appeared on CTV’s W5 in 1988.
He has worked in Africa, Afghanistan, Liberia and Nepal for organizations such as the United Nations and the World Health Organization.
Last weekend, police in Nepal say Dalglish was arrested in a child sexual exploitation investigation.
The country’s central investigation bureau has confirmed to CTV that the 61-year-old is facing charges in a case involving two boys under the age of 15.
Nepali press is reporting that Dalglish has been working with a local non-government organization.
Pushkar Karki from Nepal’s police says the bureau is investigating the possibility of more victims and the investigation is ongoing.
“In a way he was supporting poor people, and then he was building property in their name, but at the same time, we found out that something fishy was going on and that he was involved in this child sexual exploitation,” says Karki.
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Police say Dalglish is a frequent traveler to the country and he had been on their radar for months. Police say investigators waited until he returned two weeks ago to conduct their investigation.
Images from a Dalhousie Alumni magazine show that Dalglish was on a speaking tour in China last month.
He is a Dalhousie University law graduate and received an honourary degree from the school in 2008 for his “his visionary work helping children around the world.”
“These are very serious allegations. Dalhousie has an obligation to respect the privacy and confidentiality of current and former members of the university community. With that obligation in mind, we are not in a position to comment further,” said a statement from a Dalhousie spokesperson.
Last year, Dalglish was made a member of the Order of Canada.
“The chancellery of honours will bring it to the attention of the advisory council of the Order of Canada. Membership may be reviewed by the advisory council when new information is brought forward,” said the office of the Governor General in a statement.
Police say the investigation is ongoing and none of the allegations have been proven in court yet.
The World Health Organization has confirmed that Dalglish worked for them as a consultant in Liberia, most recently for a month at the end of last year.
Nepali police say Dalglish could remain in custody for up to 25 days while the investigation continues.
The penalty for this charge in Nepal, if convicted is up to 15 years in jail.
With files from CTV Atlantic’s Heidi Petracek
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