Nick Corby, assistant advocacy officer at Unicef UK, said the proposals "fall short of international standards" and urged the Government to give the commissioner more powers.
"The convention is an international standard that the UK Government has signed up to and it has a moral obligation to stick by it," said Corby, adding that lack of independence and the absence of a requirement to adhere to the convention were the main shortcomings.
Corby also dismissed statements by youth minister Margaret Hodge, at the Labour Party spring conference, that extra powers should be added to the post at a later date.
He said: "The minister has said that young people will be involved in the recruitment process, but it is not in the bill."
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