In the early 20th century, the Ottoman government implemented a policy of turkifying and islamizing Armenian women and children. The practice was considered one of the structural elements of the Genocide as forcefully islamized women and children survived the killings physically, but were annihilated as an ethnos.

Akunq.net has published two Ottoman-era documents and their Western Armenian translations about Armenian orphans, assembled in a building in Ankara province.

In the first document, Interior Minister Talaat considers it inappropriate to keep the Armenian kids in groups in the abovementioned building and instructs to disperse them among Islamic organizations.

The second document was written by deputy Ankara governor Atif in response to Talaat’s order. It provides some details about the number of Armenian women and children and assures that the kids will be sent to Islamic organizations.