Sexual Predators Target Nepal Due to Poverty, Weak Laws

Child rights activists say that a growing number of foreign pedophiles have been targeting Nepal due to its poverty, weak laws, and lack of supervision.

Canadian Ernest MacIntosh is escorted by police to his court appearance in Lalitpur, Nepal, on Feb. 5, 2015, on charges of allegedly abusing a 9-year-old boy in a suburb of Kathmandu. PRAKASH MATHEMA/AFP/Getty Images

KATHMANDU, Nepal—While the conviction of a former U.N. worker for child abuse in Nepal was hailed as a landmark verdict, child rights activists say it also shows that a growing number of foreign pedophiles are attracted to the country because of its poverty, weak laws, and lack of supervision.

In one of the most high-profile cases of child abuse in Nepal, a court sentenced Canadian Peter Dalglish to nine years in jail and imposed a fine of 1 million rupees ($9,000) earlier this month.