Drugs, bullying and safety fears

Talking to children from across London it quickly becomes clear that few parents really know the daily pressures they face. Evening Standard spoke to four youngsters for whom worries like drugs, poverty and fear of crime are hard realities.

Gbemi Sodimu, 11, from Stockwell, 10-year-old Katie Allen and her brother Steven, 17, from Islington, and 16-year-old Rajbir Purewal, from Southall, have different backgrounds but all have first-hand experience of the problems children in London face.

Katie and Steven live in a rented council house with their parents and two other siblings. Money is tight. Katie said: "I can't always have new things, like trainers. Being poor means not having enough money to do things that you want to do."

Rajbir, who is at sixth form college, said there were at least 10 teenagers at her school who dealt drugs. She said: "It is a problem that we should be protected from but not enough is being done. There is too much pressure on us to do drugs, smoke and drink alcohol."

Bullying has been an issue for Gbemi, who lives with her mother and two brothers. "I was teased and left out and it made me not want to go to school," she said.

"I also worry about things like that my friend is in care and does really badly at school, and walking in the streets on my own because it is not always safe."

Despite the things they would like to change, the four - among 24 youngsters who advise the Office of Children's Rights Commissioner for London - are passionate about what is good about the city. Steven said: "It is great that London is a multi-ethnic place and that, if you work hard, there are opportunities for you to do well."