Ukraine is investigating Belarus' suspected involvement in the forced transfer of minors from Russian-occupied territory, the prosecutor general's office said on Tuesday (May 23).

The declaration followed an allegation by the exiled Belarusian opposition saying that 2,150 Ukrainian children, including orphans aged six to 15, had been shipped to so-called recreation camps and sanatoriums in Belarus.

Based on the early assessment of the National Anti-Crisis Management, a group of political opponents of President Alexander Lukashenko's regime, the children were transferred to at least three locations in Belarus.

The office of Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin has opened criminal procedures into "the forced transportation/deportation of over 19,000 children" from the seized areas of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, and Luhansk, as per a Reuters report.&nbsp;

"The fact and circumstances of taking Ukrainian children from the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine to the so-called 'recreational camps' in Belarus are currently under investigation in the mentioned criminal proceedings," it said.

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<h2>What are the violations involved?</h2>

The International Criminal Court, the world's permanent war crimes tribunal, issued arrest warrants in March for Russian President Vladimir Putin and his children's rights ombudsman, Maria Lvova-Belova, on two charges of war crimes in connection with the relocation of hundreds of Ukrainian children to Russia.

In the words of Yulia Ioffe, an assistant professor at University College London and an expert in children's rights legislation, if the allegations are proven, Belarus would "highly likely" be violating the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

"The actions of Belarus may also amount to the crime against humanity of ‘deportation of forcible transfer of population’ under the Rome Statute of the ICC, provided there is sufficient evidence of forcible transfers being widespread or systematic," Ioffe said.

Belarus, in any case, cannot be deemed a neutral nation to which children might lawfully be evacuated because there is no proof that Ukraine has provided authorisation, she added.

As per&nbsp;the report, Ukrainian children were brought to the Belarusian Golden Sands Sanatorium in the Gomel area, as well as the Ostroshitsky Gorodok Sanatorium and Dubrava camp in the Minsk region.

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The transfers of minors to Belarus were illegal and violated the Geneva Conventions and the statute of the International Criminal Court, the report said.

Additionally,&nbsp;the first group of roughly 350 youngsters arrived from the seized Donetsk area on September 5 and 6, followed by the second and third groups in late September and mid-October. Additional transfers were performed in April and May of this year.

The children were transported&nbsp;by bus to Russia from Russian-held territories of Ukraine and then by train to Belarus, it said.

"Lukashenko personally ordered the transfers of orphans to Belarus and facilitated their arrival by financial and organisational support," it said, accusing him of war crimes.

(With inputs from agencies)

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Ukraine is investigating Belarus' suspected involvement in the forced transfer of minors from Russian-occupied territory, the prosecutor general's office said on Tuesday (May 23).

Ukraine is investigating Belarus' suspected involvement in the forced transfer of minors from Russian-occupied territory, the prosecutor general's office said on Tuesday (May 23). The declaration followed an allegation by the exiled Belarusian opposition saying that 2,150 Ukrainian children, including orphans aged six to 15, had been shipped to so-called recreation camps and sanatoriums in Belarus. Based on the early assessment of the National Anti-Crisis Management, a group of political opponents of President Alexander Lukashenko's regime, the children were transferred to at least three locations in Belarus. The office of Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin has opened criminal procedures into "the forced transportation/deportation of over 19,000 children" from the seized areas of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, and Luhansk, as per a Reuters report. "The fact and circumstances of taking Ukrainian children from the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine to the so-called 'recreational camps' in Belarus are currently under investigation in the mentioned criminal proceedings," it said. ALSO READ | Russia intercepts two US military jets over Baltic Sea What are the violations involved? The International Criminal Court, the world's permanent war crimes tribunal, issued arrest warrants in March for Russian President Vladimir Putin and his children's rights ombudsman, Maria Lvova-Belova, on two charges of war crimes in connection with the relocation of hundreds of Ukrainian children to Russia. In the words of Yulia Ioffe, an assistant professor at University College London and an expert in children's rights legislation, if the allegations are proven, Belarus would "highly likely" be violating the Convention on the Rights of the Child. "The actions of Belarus may also amount to the crime against humanity of ‘deportation of forcible transfer of population’ under the Rome Statute of the ICC, provided there is sufficient evidence of forcible transfers being widespread or systematic," Ioffe said. Belarus, in any case, cannot be deemed a neutral nation to which children might lawfully be evacuated because there is no proof that Ukraine has provided authorisation, she added. As per the report, Ukrainian children were brought to the Belarusian Golden Sands Sanatorium in the Gomel area, as well as the Ostroshitsky Gorodok Sanatorium and Dubrava camp in the Minsk region. ALSO WATCH | Russia-Ukraine war: Why does Ukraine wants F-16 jets? The transfers of minors to Belarus were illegal and violated the Geneva Conventions and the statute of the International Criminal Court, the report said. Additionally, the first group of roughly 350 youngsters arrived from the seized Donetsk area on September 5 and 6, followed by the second and third groups in late September and mid-October. Additional transfers were performed in April and May of this year. The children were transported by bus to Russia from Russian-held territories of Ukraine and then by train to Belarus, it said. "Lukashenko personally ordered the transfers of orphans to Belarus and facilitated their arrival by financial and organisational support," it said, accusing him of war crimes. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE:

Ukraine probing reports of 2,150 children being shipped to Belarus, says prosecutor

Britain and New Zealand are failing on children's rights, scoring lower than war-torn Syria and North Korea relative to their wealth in rankings released Tuesday by a children's group.

"Appalling" discrimination against migrant children and a lack of legal protection for poorer youths in New Zealand and the UK put them near the bottom of the annual survey by Dutch NGO KidsRights.

"It's a shame that countries like the United Kingdom and New Zealand are really at the lowest ranks of this index," Marc Dulleart, founder and chairman of KidsRights, told AFP.

Britain ranked 170 and New Zealand 169 in a survey of 181 countries.

Iceland was top followed by Portugal, Switzerland, Finland and Germany. Afghanistan was worst, followed by Sierra Leone, Chad, Equatorial Guinea and the Central African Republic.

The annual KidsRights rankings, compiled with the Erasmus School of Economics in Rotterdam, use UN data to measure how countries measure up to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

"Of course the situation in the UK is far better than in Afghanistan or Syria, but it's relative to their position," Dulleart said.

"The message is that, considering their economic status and it is a democracy and it is a country not in war, then it is appalling in such a rich developed country that the score on the basic principles of the Convention on the Rights of the Child is the lowest score."

Booming economic growth in countries such as China, India and Myanmar is meanwhile failing to translate into better rights for children, the group said.

'Old-fashioned mindset'

However Thailand and Tunisia ranked surprisingly highly, at 14th and 15th, because with the "limited resources they have, they put everything into the next generation", said Dullaert.

The group said giving children around the world a bigger say was crucial.

It cited the examples of youth movements such as teen climate activist Greta Thunberg's school marches and US rallies for gun control after school shootings.

"We are still underestimating the power of these movements," said Princess Laurentien of the Netherlands, who founded the Missing Chapter Foundation to install boards of children in companies, and has worked with KidsRights.

"We need to get rid of this old fashioned mindset that we the adults have all the answers," added the princess, who is the sister-in-law of Dutch King Willem-Alexander.

She also urged governments to invest in children now to reap future benefits -- citing the example of Dutch football team Ajax, whose young team stunned Europe by making the semi-finals of the Champions League this year.

"It's a bit like 'why is Ajax playing so well' - and we're incredibly proud of them by the way - it's because 10 years ago they had the right strategy, investing in youth. Then it shows up later that we have stars."

KidsRights also presents an annual international children's peace prize whose previous winners include Pakistani Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai, who was shot in the head by the Taliban in 2012.

Britain and New Zealand are failing on children's rights, scoring lower than war-torn Syria and North Korea relative to their wealth in rankings released Tuesday by a children's group.

Britain and New Zealand are failing on children's rights, scoring lower than war-torn Syria and North Korea relative to their wealth in rankings released Tuesday by a children's group. "Appalling" discrimination against migrant children and a lack of legal protection for poorer youths in New Zealand and the UK put them near the bottom of the annual survey by Dutch NGO KidsRights. "It's a shame that countries like the United Kingdom and New Zealand are really at the lowest ranks of this index," Marc Dulleart, founder and chairman of KidsRights, told AFP. Britain ranked 170 and New Zealand 169 in a survey of 181 countries. Iceland was top followed by Portugal, Switzerland, Finland and Germany. Afghanistan was worst, followed by Sierra Leone, Chad, Equatorial Guinea and the Central African Republic. The annual KidsRights rankings, compiled with the Erasmus School of Economics in Rotterdam, use UN data to measure how countries measure up to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. "Of course the situation in the UK is far better than in Afghanistan or Syria, but it's relative to their position," Dulleart said. "The message is that, considering their economic status and it is a democracy and it is a country not in war, then it is appalling in such a rich developed country that the score on the basic principles of the Convention on the Rights of the Child is the lowest score." Booming economic growth in countries such as China, India and Myanmar is meanwhile failing to translate into better rights for children, the group said. 'Old-fashioned mindset' However Thailand and Tunisia ranked surprisingly highly, at 14th and 15th, because with the "limited resources they have, they put everything into the next generation", said Dullaert. The group said giving children around the world a bigger say was crucial. It cited the examples of youth movements such as teen climate activist Greta Thunberg's school marches and US rallies for gun control after school shootings. "We are still underestimating the power of these movements," said Princess Laurentien of the Netherlands, who founded the Missing Chapter Foundation to install boards of children in companies, and has worked with KidsRights. "We need to get rid of this old fashioned mindset that we the adults have all the answers," added the princess, who is the sister-in-law of Dutch King Willem-Alexander. She also urged governments to invest in children now to reap future benefits -- citing the example of Dutch football team Ajax, whose young team stunned Europe by making the semi-finals of the Champions League this year. "It's a bit like 'why is Ajax playing so well' - and we're incredibly proud of them by the way - it's because 10 years ago they had the right strategy, investing in youth. Then it shows up later that we have stars." KidsRights also presents an annual international children's peace prize whose previous winners include Pakistani Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai, who was shot in the head by the Taliban in 2012.

Britain, New Zealand scores lower than Syria and North Korea on children's rights rankings

Fifteen-year-old Mohamed Raishan Ahmed of Maldives dreams of including children with disabilities into the mainstream education system.

Raishan has recently been nominated for International Children&#39;s Peace Prize 2016, awarded by KidsRights - a global non-governmental organisation fighting for children&#39;s rights globally.

He was nominated by the Maldives Association of Physical Disables (MAPD) working on issues of disability, bullying and education.

The prize is awarded annually to a child who fights for children&rsquo;s rights.

Raishan has been diagnosed with spinal muscular atrophy type II - the nerve cells in his spinal cord are not able to control his muscles.

&quot;I am proud that I&#39;m the only Maldivian to qualify for the peace prize. I will continue to make Maldives proud too,&quot; he told WION.&nbsp;

Speaking of children with disabilities, Raishan says, &quot;You can. You will. Just believe in yourself to realise your true potential. Know what you are and you can be anything you want to be,&quot; he says. 
&nbsp; 
Raishan&#39;s official campaign for the peace prize was launched in a special assembly held in his school - Kalaafaanu school in the capital city of Male.

Ahmed Mohamed, chairperson of Maldives Association of Physical Disables (MAPD) told WION that this is the first time for a Maldivian child to be nominated for this award.&nbsp;

KidsRights has received 120 nominees from 49 countries across the world for this year&rsquo;s children&#39;s peace prize.

The award has 25 nominees from other South Asian countries - four from Afghanistan, four from Bangladesh, 11 from India and six from Pakistan.

KidsRights will announce three finalists on November 15 and the International Children&#39;s Peace Prize 2016 will be awarded on December 2 at an award ceremony to be held in Netherlands.

Raishan, diagnosed with spinal muscular atrophy type II, works to create education awareness among children with disabilities

Fifteen-year-old Mohamed Raishan Ahmed of Maldives dreams of including children with disabilities into the mainstream education system. Raishan has recently been nominated for International Children's Peace Prize 2016, awarded by KidsRights - a global non-governmental organisation fighting for children's rights globally. He was nominated by the Maldives Association of Physical Disables (MAPD) working on issues of disability, bullying and education. The prize is awarded annually to a child who fights for children’s rights. Raishan has been diagnosed with spinal muscular atrophy type II - the nerve cells in his spinal cord are not able to control his muscles. "I am proud that I'm the only Maldivian to qualify for the peace prize. I will continue to make Maldives proud too," he told WION. Speaking of children with disabilities, Raishan says, "You can. You will. Just believe in yourself to realise your true potential. Know what you are and you can be anything you want to be," he says. Raishan's official campaign for the peace prize was launched in a special assembly held in his school - Kalaafaanu school in the capital city of Male. Ahmed Mohamed, chairperson of Maldives Association of Physical Disables (MAPD) told WION that this is the first time for a Maldivian child to be nominated for this award. KidsRights has received 120 nominees from 49 countries across the world for this year’s children's peace prize. The award has 25 nominees from other South Asian countries - four from Afghanistan, four from Bangladesh, 11 from India and six from Pakistan. KidsRights will announce three finalists on November 15 and the International Children's Peace Prize 2016 will be awarded on December 2 at an award ceremony to be held in Netherlands.

Maldives: Disabled teenager nominated for International Children's Peace Prize