Ministers have been urged to create an independent children's commissioner for England.

Leading charities and the Children's Commissioner for Wales warned on Monday that the government is failing England's 11.3 million children by downgrading their human rights.

Peter Clarke and 126 organisations made their recommendation to MPs who are set to consider how an independent representative has helped children in other countries.

The idea was also raised following the inquiry into the death of Victoria Climbie, which made a series of recommendations on overhauling the way vulnerable children are protected by social services and the police.

Campaigners said the government could make provision for the watchdog in its planned green paper on children at risk, due out in April.

Nearly 30 countries have a watchdog to represent children and both Northern Ireland and Scotland have legislation underway to establish the role.

The report also claimed the government is failing to fully honour its commitment to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Peter Clarke said children in England could benefit from a similar arrangement to the one established in Wales, which was a key recommendation of the Waterhouse Report into abuse at children's homes in north Wales.

"It appears unfair that children in England should be denied the right to have a champion of their own.

"We are beginning to show what can be done with, and on behalf of, young people by an agency with exclusive loyalty to them," he said.

The Welsh commissioner has wide-ranging powers involves reviewing complaints procedures and lobbying official bodies that supply services to children such as the NHS.

Veronica Plowden of the Children's Rights Alliance for England highlighted some of the issues raised in the Climbie inquiry.

"Too many children are still falling through our country's child protection net. Their human rights are being seriously compromised by the lack of an independent champion to speak out on their behalf," she said.