Supreme Court convicts ex-UN official Dalglish for pedophilia

Kathmandu, November 6 — The Supreme Court of Nepal has found former senior United Nations (UN) official and Canadian national Peter John Dalglish guilty of child sexual abuse (pedophilia). The court’s spokesperson, Govinda Ghimire, confirmed the ruling.

On Wednesday, a bench of Justices Nahakul Subedi and Sunil Kumar Pokharel upheld the verdicts of the Kavrepalanchok District Court and the Patan High Court, which had previously convicted Dalglish. However, the Supreme Court reduced the sentence by one year. The district and high courts had sentenced Daglish to nine years in prison, but the Supreme Court changed the sentence to eight years. The court also upheld the district court’s ruling regarding compensation for the victims.

Daglish was arrested on April 7, 2018 in Mandandeupur, Kavre, after being caught in the act with two minors. His arrest had sparked international attention regarding the involvement of high-ranking individuals in pedophilia in Nepal.

The district court had initially sentenced Peter to nine years in prison and ordered him to pay appropriate compensation to the two victimized children. A former senior UN official, Dalglish had worked in various capacities, including as the UN’s Country Representative in Afghanistan.

In Nepal, concerns about Dalglish's activities had been raised for years. Despite being under suspicion for a long time, his status as a high-profile individual had allowed him to avoid accountability. Between 2002 and 2015, he frequently visited Nepal, where it was alleged he came to engage in child sexual abuse.

Daglish's involvement in these activities dates back to 2002, when he first arrived in Nepal as a senior advisor to the International Labour Organization (ILO). Over the years, he continued visiting Nepal, during which time he allegedly provided financial and educational support to poor children in exchange for sexual favors. According to police investigations, he is believed to have abused around 50 children. In 2009, he purchased a 10 ropani land plot in Mandandeupur, Kavre, using an associate, Chirikaji Maharjan, to set up a farmhouse, which he then used as a location for his abusive activities.

Dalglish was highly regarded for his humanitarian work and was involved in several international projects. In 2016, he was awarded the Order of Canada, the country's second-highest honor, for his services to impoverished children. In the 1980s, he co-founded Street Kids International, which later merged with Save the Children. He had also worked with UN-Habitat in Afghanistan in 2015 and served as an ILO advisor in Nepal during the early 2000s.

What is Pedophilia?

The term pedophile is derived from Greek, combining "pedo" meaning child and "phile" meaning love. While the literal translation refers to affection or love for children, it is now commonly used to describe adults who engage in or are attracted to sexual activities with children. A pedophile is an individual who is sexually attracted to children, typically those under the age of 16, and their behavior often involves exploitation or coercion of minors for sexual pleasure. These individuals are considered to be sexual offenders who see children as a means of sexual gratification. 

Pedophilia is a serious form of abuse that affects not only the physical well-being of children but also causes long-lasting psychological harm. It is legally defined as the act of engaging in sexual activities with a child, and in many cases, it involves extreme forms of exploitation such as rape or bodily harm.