Kids charity founder stripped of top Canadian honor years after conviction for raping two boys

Canada has revoked a prestigious civilian honor from charity founder Peter Dalglish after he was convicted in Nepal for raping two boys aged 11 and 14.

Governor General Mary Simon stated Friday that she had sanctioned the removal of Dalglish from the Order of Canada. The move comes years after Dalglish was sentenced to prison, per the Daily Mail.

Dalglish, who co-founded the charity Street Kids International, was appointed to the Order of Canada in 2016

A court in Nepal handed down a 16-year prison sentence to the former charity figure after police discovered the two boys at his home during a child abuse investigation. Nepalese authorities disclosed that investigators had kept Dalglish under surveillance for several weeks before moving in to take him into custody.

Dalglish was previously accused of targeting vulnerable boys from impoverished families by offering promises of education, jobs, and travel opportunities before sexually abusing them. At the 2019 sentencing, the judge required Dalglish to pay approximately $9,100 in restitution.

Dalglish had originally made his name co-founding Street Kids International in the 1980s before the organization later merged with Save the Children. He then held senior roles across numerous global humanitarian organizations.

Advocates in Nepal noted that the ruling sent a message in a nation that has grappled with child exploitation and inadequate law enforcement against those who sexually abuse minors.

Dalglish is not the only person who has been stripped of the honor of being in the Order of Canada. Simon said that she would also take the honor away from SNC-Lavalin CEO Jaques Lamarre, who was found guilty of corruption related to his work in Libya.