Prince William, Kate Middleton interact with homeless children

New Delhi, Apr 12: Duke and Duchess of Cambridge Prince William and Kate Middleton on Tuesday spent their morning interacting with a group of homeless young boys currently living at a shelter here.

The royal couple, during their interaction, did some of the regular activities with them such as reading and drawing. On their second day in the capital city, William and Kate visited the Salaam Baalak Trust, an organisation supporting some of the most vulnerable young persons living in the streets in Delhi.

"The couple met young boys who are currently living at the shelter and spent time with them doing some of the regular activities such as reading and drawing," a statement from the Kensington Palace said.

The couple also had the chance to meet two Salam Baalak City Walk Guides, it said. The Trust is famous for its city walks, guided tours of Delhi streets by rescued children who used to live there before.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambdrige first visited the Trust's Contact Centre near New Delhi Railway Station where they learnt that 1200-1500 children arrive into the capital on trains each year, often travelling alone, to escape a range of personal circumstances.

The royal couple are on a week-long tour of India and Bhutan that began on Sunday.

They also met with a group of Indian women to know about a range of issues affecting women and girls in the country. The meeting was convened at the personal request of the Duke who wanted an opportunity to hear directly from women working to support other women and girls, the statement said.

The royals also met acid attack survivor Laxmi Agarwal and heard about her inspirational campaign 'Stop Acid Attacks', it said.

Laxmi was attacked when she was 15, by a 32-year-old man after she rejected his marriage proposal. Her story has now become inspirational to women globally.

"She explained her decision to stop covering her face in order to encourage other victims not to hide and also spoke of her successful fight for tougher legal restrictions on sale of acid. The Duke thanked her for her bravery," it said.

Among others, the royal couple also met with Sunita Jaiswal, a survivor of domestic abuse and journalist Soumya Menon.

During the meetings, they were informed about a range of support and initiatives provided for women and girls through organisations such as Save the Children as well as Indian government-supported programmes.

PTI