London's teenagers will tell the mayor they want to be recognised as the victims of crime rather than always being held responsible.

A health manifesto and an action plan to improve young people's quality of life in London will be presented to the deputy mayor Nicky Gavron on Wednesday - World Children's Day.

They want more police on the streets, a crackdown on gun crime and to be told about drugs issues by ex-users and experts who understand the dangers, rather than teachers.

Steven Allen, 19, from the Office of Children's Rights Commission said: "One of the biggest concerns for children is safety on the streets and crime. They don't actually feel safe on the streets a lot of the time."

Suffered racism

"Children should be recognised as the victims of crime as opposed to just being seen as the perpetrators."

They also want action on other issues including bullying, racist crime, vandalism and child poverty and want a say in how these issues are tackled.

Over half of the London secondary school students who took part in a recent King's Fund survey had been bullied at school and one in five said they have suffered racism at school.

The manifesto is being supported by the King's Fund and is based on the contributions of hundreds of young people aged between 12 and 18.