23. 01. 14. - 15:00
A Bulgarian man abandoned his three children in the Austrian capital Vienna after they refused to go out on the streets begging for him.
The children, twins aged nine and a thirteen-year-old, had been dragged across Europe begging in various cities before they arrived in the Austrian capital.
But once here they got into a row with their father, who told them if they would not beg, they were no use to him, and who dumped them and drove off.
The trio, who spoke no German and could not read or write, were forced once again to beg, sleeping rough until they met a man in an OAP home who called police when he heard their story.
The three had their birth certificates with them, and on the back the father had written. "Free for Adoption."
Herta Staffa, from Vienna Child Protection services confirmed that when the children refused to carry on begging the father had dumped them in the Prater, a fun fair area of Vienna, with their birth certificates.
The children were taken to a care institute - the 'Drehscheibe' - to be looked after.
Norbert Ceipek, boss of Drehscheibe, said: "The children said to me they never wanted to be returned to their father and that I should find them a nice family."
Ceipek made contact with Bulgarian authorities and went with the children back to the Bulgarian capital of Sofia.
Ceipek added : "The children were doing well, they are happy. We spoke to the children about what would happen. They knew where they were going."
They are currently in a similar organisation in Bulgaria where they are being looked after and their family is being traced,
It is thought the mother could be in Greece where she could be working in prostitution.
The children had previously been forced to beg in Greece.
The father cannot be traced.
The children, twins aged nine and a thirteen-year-old, had been dragged across Europe begging in various cities before they arrived in the Austrian capital.
But once here they got into a row with their father, who told them if they would not beg, they were no use to him, and who dumped them and drove off.
The trio, who spoke no German and could not read or write, were forced once again to beg, sleeping rough until they met a man in an OAP home who called police when he heard their story.
The three had their birth certificates with them, and on the back the father had written. "Free for Adoption."
Herta Staffa, from Vienna Child Protection services confirmed that when the children refused to carry on begging the father had dumped them in the Prater, a fun fair area of Vienna, with their birth certificates.
The children were taken to a care institute - the 'Drehscheibe' - to be looked after.
Norbert Ceipek, boss of Drehscheibe, said: "The children said to me they never wanted to be returned to their father and that I should find them a nice family."
Ceipek made contact with Bulgarian authorities and went with the children back to the Bulgarian capital of Sofia.
Ceipek added : "The children were doing well, they are happy. We spoke to the children about what would happen. They knew where they were going."
They are currently in a similar organisation in Bulgaria where they are being looked after and their family is being traced,
It is thought the mother could be in Greece where she could be working in prostitution.
The children had previously been forced to beg in Greece.
The father cannot be traced.
