Abstract:

Women and children are the most vulnerable groups affected by wars, diseases, famines, migration and disasters. The number of Social service institutions for children increased especially in the last period of the Ottoman Empire. The main reason for such an increase is reforms implemented by government and destructive consequences caused by wars. The study is to analyze the basic factors, which have caused growing number of social care organizations for orphans in the late period of the Ottoman Empire. To give general information about these institutions and their functions are another objectives of this article. The factors leading the formations of social service institutions can be regarded as the land loss of the Ottoman Empire in the last period, great migrations resulting from lost wars, the reflection of reform efforts and modernization movements, increased in an era of Tanzimat, on military, economic and educational institutions and the need for the protection of children of martries. For these purposes, religious foundations as a core social service institution established and other institutions like ıslahhane, darülaceze, darüşşafaka, darülhayr-i ali, darüleytam, community of himaye-i etfal emerged for the care and training of ophaned children.

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