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1. |
Name.
Under the designation the “Anti-Slavery
Society” there is established a body to
be known as the Anti-Slavery Society. |
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2. |
Definitions.
In this Constitution:
“Anti-Slavery
Society Fund” means the Anti-Slavery
Society Fund encompassing all the property of
the Society, and includes the Society’s:
(a)
General Fund; and
(b)
Designated Funds:
“Chairperson”
means the Chairman or Chairwoman of the Board of
Governors. The person elected may elect to
call herself or himself Chairman or Chairwoman;
“Constitution”
means this Constitution as amended;
“Board of Governors”
means the Board of Governors of the Society;
“Designated
Funds” means the Slaves Fund, the
Bonded Child Laborers Fund, the Child Laborers
Fund and such other funds for specific purposes
as may be established by the Board of Trustees;
“Honorary
Treasurer” means the Honorary Treasurer
of the Society;
“Officers”
include the Chairperson of the Board of
Governors, not more than two Vice-Chairmen, the
Secretary and the Honorary Treasurer or Joint
Honorary Treasurers;
“Secretary”
means the Secretary of the Society;
“Society”
means the body established under this
Constitution;
“Vice-Chairperson”
means a Vice-Chairperson of the Board of
Governors. |
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3. |
Nature
of Society. The Society shall be a
charitable organization.
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4. |
Objects.
The objects of the Society are: |
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(a) |
(i) |
the
relief of suffering; |
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(ii) |
the
emancipation; and
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(iii) |
the
social reintegration —
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of
slaves and child slaves; |
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(b) |
(i) |
the
relief of suffering; |
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(ii) |
the
emancipation; and
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(iii) |
the
social reintegration —
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of
bondsmen, bondswomen and bonded children; |
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(c) |
(i) |
the
relief of suffering; |
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(ii) |
the
rescue; and
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(iii) |
the
social reintegration —
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of
child laborers; |
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(d) |
(i) |
the
relief of suffering; |
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(ii) |
the
rescue; and
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(iii) |
the
social reintegration —
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of
the victims of the international traffic in
women and children for the purpose of
prostitution; |
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(e) |
(i) |
the
relief of suffering; |
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(ii) |
the
rescue; and
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(iii) |
the
social reintegration —
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of
child victims of sacred prostitution; |
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(f) |
(i) |
the
relief of suffering; |
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(ii) |
the
rescue; and
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(iii) |
the
social reintegration —
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of
children who are the victims of institutions and
practices similar to slavery; |
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(g) |
to
encourage the manumission of slaves, bondsmen,
bondswomen and bonded children by their owners; |
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(h) |
to
do all such things as may be appropriate and
necessary to promote these objects; |
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and
the Society shall be organized and operated
exclusively for the attainment of these objects. |
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MEMBERSHIP
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5. |
Membership.
There shall be the following classes of members,
namely:
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(a) |
Life
Members, who must have paid a single
contribution for membership of the Society for
life; and
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(b) |
Ordinary
Members.
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6. |
Admission
of members. Applications for
membership shall be determined by the Board of
Governors, which has an absolute discretion as
to whether or not to admit any applicant as a
member.
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| 7. |
Expulsion.
The Board of Governors may, in its absolute
discretion, expel any member of the Society if
it is of the opinion that his, her or its
conduct is such as to be injurious to the
Society or its objects.
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| 8. |
Contributions.
The Board of Trustees shall determine the
contributions which are payable by each class of
member.
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| 9. |
Annual
contributions must be paid by members not later
than eight weeks after the end of the financial
year for which they are due.
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| 10. |
If
any member fails to pay the appropriate
contribution for twelve months after it has
fallen due, then the Board of Governors has the
right to cancel his, her or its membership
without prejudice to the member’s right to
apply for re-admission. |
| 11. |
Resignations.
Any member may resign upon the expiration of one
month’s notice in writing to the Secretary.
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| 12. |
Appeal.
Any person affected may appeal against a
decision by the Board of Governors to reject or
defer admission to membership, or to expel a
member, and such appeal shall be dealt with and
decided by a simple majority at the next General
Meeting thereafter and the applicant or the
member concerned has the right to address the
General Meeting.
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GENERAL MEETINGS
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| 13. |
Annual
General Meeting. An Annual General
Meeting must be held every two years:
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(a)
(b)
(c) |
to
receive and approve a report of the proceedings
and the accounts for the immediately preceding
two financial years;
to elect the Board of Governors and Officers for
the ensuing two years; and
to deal with any other business specified in the
notice convening the meeting.
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| 14. |
A
Special General Meeting may be called by:
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(a)
(b) |
the
Board of Governors; o
at least twenty-five Ordinary or Life Members
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by
the Chairperson or the Secretary giving at least
six weeks’ notice in writing to the members,
and specifying the business to be transacted at
the meeting.
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| 15. |
All
General Meetings must be convened by the
Secretary by the dispatch to all members at
their respective addresses last notified to the
Secretary at least three weeks prior to the
meeting of a notice specifying the business to
be transacted thereat.
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| 16. |
Members
are entitled to specify any special business
they wish to be transacted at an Annual General
Meeting by giving at least six weeks’ notice
in writing to the Secretary.
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| 17. |
All
members, including Associate Members, are
entitled to attend the General Meeting.
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| 18. |
Chairperson.
The Annual General Meeting shall be chaired by
the Chairperson of the Board of Governors (or,
in his or her absence, one of the other
officers).
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| 19. |
Voting.
All questions must be determined by a majority
of votes cast, except a resolution for a change
of the Constitution which requires a
three-quarters majority.
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| 20 |
Life
and Ordinary Members personally present at
General Meetings shall be entitled to one vote
at General Meetings.
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| 21. |
All
voting is by show of hands and the declaration
of the Chairperson as to the result of any vote
shall be conclusive and bind all the members.
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| 22. |
In
the case of an equality of votes, the
Chairperson has a casting vote. |
BOARD OF GOVERNORS
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| 23. |
Board
of Governors. There shall be an
Board of Governors.
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| 24. |
Subject
to the powers of the Board of Trustees under
this Constitution and at law, the management of
the Society is vested in the hands of the Board
of Governors, which has power to transact all
the business of the Society, other than such
matters as are vested in the Board of Trustees.
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| 25. |
The
members of the Board of Governors must be
elected Annually by the Ordinary and Life
Members present at the Annual General Meeting.
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| 26. |
All
the Officers of the Society are members of the
Board of Governors.
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| 27. |
The
members of the Board of Governors have power to
appoint persons to fill vacancies thereon and to
appoint additional members thereto.
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| 28. |
Meetings.
The Board of Governors must meet at least once
in every four months.
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| 29. |
Quorum.
A quorum for a meeting of the Board of Governors
is four, one at least of whom must be an elected
Officer of the Society. |
| 30. |
All
questions must be decided by a majority of votes
and in the case of equality the Chairperson of
the meeting has a casting vote.
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| 31. |
The
Board of Governors shall otherwise regulate its
own procedure.
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| 32. |
The
Board of Governors has power to appoint
sub-committees to investigate and report upon
any aspect of the purposes of the Society
purposes and to exercise such powers of the
Board of Governors which are expressly assigned
to them by the Board of Governors.
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| 33. |
Officers.
The Officers of the Society must be elected
annually by the Ordinary and Life Members at the
Annual General Meeting.
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| 34. |
The
Officers must perform such executive functions
as are assigned to them by the Board of
Governors. |
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
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| 35. |
Board
of Trustees. There shall be a Board
of Trustees whose members shall be appointed by
the Board of Governors.
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| 36. |
The
Board of Trustees shall stand possessed of the
income and property of the Society upon trust
for the charitable objects of the Society.
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| 37. |
Anti-Slavery
Society Fund. The Board of Trustees
shall have the care and management of the
Anti-Slavery Society Fund and of the finances of
the Society, and shall exercise such discretions
and powers as are vested in:
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(a)
(b) |
them
by this Constitution; and
trustees by law.
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| 38. |
The
Board of Trustees shall sub-divide the
Anti-Slavery Society Fund into: |
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(a)
(b) |
a
General Fund; and
Designated Funds. |
| 39. |
General
Fund. Donations received for the
general charitable purposes of the Society and
contributions shall be applied to the General
Fund.
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| 40. |
Designated
Funds. The use of donations
received for the Slaves Fund, the Bonded Child
Laborers Fund, the Child Laborers Fund and such
other funds for specific purposes as may be
established by the Board of Trustees shall be
restricted to such specific purposes.
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| 41. |
The
unutilized balance of the Designated Funds shall
be carried forward in the specific designated
fund, and such funds shall not available for the
general charitable purposes of the Society.
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| 42. |
Treasurer.
All subscriptions, donations and other payments
to the Society may be paid to the Honorary
Treasurer who shall, subject to the supervision
and direction of the Board of Trustees, be
responsible for the day to day administration of
the funds of the Society. |
| 43. |
Power
of investment. All moneys not
required for the immediate purposes of the
Society may be applied or invested as the Board
of Trustees, at their discretion think fit, and
any investments so made may at any time be
realized and the proceeds applied for the
objects of the Society. |
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Application
of income and property. The Board
of Trustees shall apply the income and property
of the Society solely towards the promotion of
the objects of the Society as set forth in this
Constitution and no portion of such income and
property shall be paid or transferred, directly
or indirectly, by way of bonus or otherwise
howsoever by way of profit, to members of the
Society, and no member of its Board of Trustees
or Board of Governors shall be paid any salary
or fees or receive any remuneration or other
benefit in money or money’s worth from the
Society, provided that nothing shall prevent any
payment in good faith by the Board of Trustees:
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(a)
(b) |
of
reasonable and proper remuneration to any member
or employee of the Society (not being a member
of its Board of Trustees or Board of Governors)
for any services actually rendered to the
Society;
to any member of the Board of Trustees or Board
of Governors for out-of-pocket expenses.
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| 45. |
In
exercising their discretion, the Board of
Trustees may consider, or have regard to, any
recommendation from the Board of Governors.
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| 46. |
Accounts.
The dates of commencement and the termination of
the Society’s financial year are 1 July to 30
June in the succeeding year.
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| 47. |
Presentation
of accounts. The Honorary Treasurer
must present the accounts to the Board of
Trustees at its next meeting after the end of
each financial year, which the Board of Trustees
may direct to be audited |
| 48. |
Power
to appoint custodian trustee. The
Board of Trustees may employ a Public Trustee or
a trustee company for the purpose of acting as a
custodian trustee of the documents and
securities of the Society.
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| 49. |
Remuneration
of custodian trustee. Any Public
Trustee or trustee company so employed may be
remunerated in accordance with its published
scale of fees, commissions and charges. |
DISSOLUTION
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| 50. |
Dissolution.
At any Annual General Meeting a majority of
three-quarters personally present and voting may
decide to dissolve the Society, provided that
notice of such resolution is clearly set out in
the agenda.
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| 51. |
If
upon the dissolution of the Society there
remains, after the satisfaction of all its debts
and liabilities, any property whatever, the same
shall not be paid to or distributed among the
members of the Society, but shall be given or
transferred to some other fund, authority or
institution:
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(a)
(b) |
having
objects similar to the objects of the Society;
and
which prohibits the distribution of its income
and property to a similar extent to that imposed
on the Society under Article 44. |
| 52. |
That
fund, authority or institution may be determined
by the members of the Society at or before the
time of dissolution, and insofar as effect
cannot be given to such provision, then to some
other charitable object which satisfies the
criteria prescribed by Article 51.
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ALTERATION TO CONSTITUTION
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| 53. |
Procedure
for alteration to Constitution.
This Constitution can be altered by resolution
of the members at an Annual General Meeting, or
at a Special General Meeting convened for that
purpose.
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