GLAAS BYELAW
ARTICLE 1 NAME and PURPOSE
Section 1: The name of the organization shall be Global Africans Against Slavery (GLAAS)
Mission-To unify all Africans and African descendants in combating the crimes of Human Trafficking and Migrant Smuggling.
Vision– An Africa Free of Human Trafficking, Exploitation and Migrant Smuggling.
We are committed to collaborating with all relevant stakeholders national and international organisations in curbing and totally eliminating human trafficking and migrant smuggling in our continent ,be of service to the victims and protect those vulnerable to the crime in our society by empowering them with adequate knowledge to protect themselves as well as creating opportunities for them to believe in their dreams .
We aim to actively work with the African Union (AU) European Union( EU) International Organisation for Migration (IOM) and Statutory organisations of each member States, Local and International NGO’s, Governments and Development Agencies.
Section 2: The Global Africans Against Slavery was formed to eliminate the complex problem of Human Trafficking and smuggling of migrants by deconstructing the inter-connectedness of the diverse underlying issues influencing its rise in our communities.
We believe that synergizing our efforts and bringing together our diverse understandings of the issue of Human Trafficking and Migrant Smuggling in our different nations and communities will allow us to forge a path that will unify policy efforts with our field engagement hinged on the resonances of diverse demography of our socio-cultural and political realities, which shall be extremely effective in demobilizing the menace totally.
GLAAS will operate on the module of multi-sectoral partnership with all identified stakeholders in the fight against Human Trafficking which it shall invite to the Coalition.
GLAAS will create educational and informational activities to increase public awareness of Human Trafficking and its concomitant hazards both in the urban and rural communities utilizing both digital and cultural systems of communication to drive our message home.
GLAAS will organize meetings and workshops among its members who shall undertake on field engagements in the fight against Human Trafficking and will provide researched information that will guide its member organizations, agencies and Civic Society groups and diverse working committees in order to enhance and harmonize their understanding of their engagement at all times and strengthen the resolve of their participatory abilities to stem the tide of Human Trafficking.
GLAAS recognizes Cultural Leaders, Religious Leaders, Civic Society groups, Travel and Tour agencies, Hospitality management officials, Road Transport, Sea Transport and Airport officials, as well as Media Practitioners, Creative Artists, Medical Doctors, Labour Unions, Law Makers, Elected Rural Council members like the Political Parties Ward Chairmen in the entire continent and every concerned citizen of Africa both at home and in the Diaspora as relevant actors in this fight. Coalition members will consist of the above mentioned individuals, groups and organisations.
ARTICLE II – MEMBERSHIP
Section 3: Application for membership shall be open to any non-profit, corporate or social service organization that we identify among the relevant stakeholders in the fight against Human Trafficking, that support the purpose statement in Article 1, Section 2. Continued membership is contingent upon being up-to-date on membership responsibilities.
Section 2: Aside from the founding Organizations and those initially invited to the Maiden 30th August 2020 Meeting, further membership of any organization shall be granted upon a majority vote of the Board.
Section 3:Membership to GLAAS shall be recognised on an Organizational basis, so the Coalition will not be individual based. Only Corporate registered organisations in their respective nations of operation or base will be allowed to join.
Section 4: Each member Organization of GLAAS shall appoint one member who shall also act as its voting representative to attend the GLAAS Monthly Meetings.
Section 5: The Executive Board or Directors shall have the authority to establish and define non-voting categories of membership.
ARTICLE III – MEETINGS OF MEMBERS.
Section 1:Monthly Meetings. The date of the regular monthly meeting shall be set by the Board of Directors who shall also set the time and place.
Section 2:Weekly Meetings. At this formative stage of GLAAS there will be need for Weekly Meetings to perfect operability and modules of engagement for the Coalition as well as creation of the relevant offices which selected participants shall be invited to attend by the Board or Secretary.
Section 3:Special Meetings. Special meetings may be called by the Chairperson, the Executive Committee, or a simple majority of the Board of Directors. A written request signed by ten percent of the voting members may call a special meeting.
Section 4:Notice.Notice of each meeting shall be given to each voting member, by email or text, not less than 3 days before the meeting.
ARTICLE IV – BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Section 1:Board Role, Size, Composition. The Board is responsible for the overall policy and direction of the Coalition and delegates responsibility for the day-to-day operations to the Coalition Executive Director and committees.
The Board shall have up to seven (7) Members but no fewer than six (6). The board receives no compensation other than reimbursement of reasonable expenses.
Section 2: Meetings. At this formative stage the Board shall meet at least once monthly, at an agreed upon time and place.
Section 3: Board Elections. Board members shall be elected at least bi-annually by the voting representatives of member organizations.
Section 4: Board Development Committee. A Board Development Committee shall be appointed by the Board of Directors to be responsible for developing nominees for board elections, board committees, and planning for board training and leadership development.
Section 5: Election Procedures. The Board Development Committee shall be responsible for nominating a slate of member representatives to preserve the diversity and balance necessary to enable GLAAS provide policy guidance on the broad spectrum of Human Trafficking and Migrant Smuggling issues. Nominees selected by the Board Development Committee must be member representatives of member organizations of GLAAS and shall be comprised of individuals representing organisations in the six (6) regions of the continent.
Section 6: Terms. All Board members shall serve three (3) year terms, but are eligible for re-election. However, no board member shall serve more than two (2) three (3) year terms. This excludes the founding members of the organisation who may be retained as long as necessary if the entire organisation affirms.
Section 7: Quorum. A quorum must be attended by at least forty percent of the Board members before business can be transacted or motions made or passed which in this case is 3 out of 7.
Section 8: Notice. An official Board meeting requires that each Board member has a written notice at least five (5) days in advance.
Section 9: Officers and Duties. There shall be seven (7) officers of the Board consisting of the Chair, Co-Chair, Vice-Chair, Secretary, and Treasurer. The officers shall be elected through an election process after the formation stage of the Coalition has elapsed.
Their duties are as follows (More on Duties of Office Holders is elaborated on a document in our Google file entitled Roles and Responsibility)
The Chair shall convene regularly scheduled Board meetings, shall preside or arrange for other members of the Executive Committee to preside at each meeting in the following order: Co-Chair, Vice-Chair, Treasurer and Secretary.
The Vice-Chair will chair committees on special subjects as designated by the Board.
The Secretary shall be responsible for keeping records of Board actions, including overseeing the taking of minutes at all board meetings, sending out meeting announcements, distributing copies of minutes and the agenda to each Board member, and assuring that corporate records are maintained.
The Treasurer shall make a report at each Board meeting. Treasurer shall chair the finance committee, assist in the preparation of the budget, help develop fundraising plans with the resource mobilization committee, and make financial information available to Board members and the public.
Section 10: Vacancies. When a vacancy on the Board exists, nominations for new members may be received from present Board members and member organizations by the Secretary two weeks in advance of a Board meeting. These nominations shall be sent out to Board members with the regular Board meeting announcement, to be voted upon at the next board meeting. All vacancies will be filled only to the end of the particular Board member’s term.
Section 11: Resignation, Termination and Absences. Resignation from the Board must be in writing and received by the Secretary. If a member organization notifies the Board that their representative who serves on the Board no longer represents the member organization, the person is no longer eligible to be one of the Council Board members.
A Board member shall be dropped for excess absences from the Board if he/she has three (3) unexcused absences from Board meetings in a year.
A Board member may be removed for other reasons by a three-fourths (3/4) vote of the remaining directors.
Section 13: Special Meetings. Special meetings of the Board shall be called upon the request of the Chair or one-third (1/3) of the Board. Notices of special meetings shall be sent out by the Secretary to each Board member postmarked five (5) days in advance.
Section 14: The Board may set dues schedules for memberships in dire emergencies if there are no funds in the organisations pocket.
Section 15:GLAAS will have an advisory committee consisting of elites and professionals in the diverse field of its engagement whom will be required to meet with the Board of executives quarterly on guidance for the projects of the Coalition.
ARTICLE V – COMMITTEES
Section 1: The Board may create committees as needed, such as development, public education, data collection, etc. There shall be two standing committees – Executive and Finance Committees. The Board Chair appoints all committee chairs. Committee chairs cannot be members of the Board.
Section 2: The seven (7) officers serve as the members of the Executive Committee. The Executive Committee shall appoint an Executive Director and review the performance of the Executive Director. Except for the power to amend the Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws, the Executive Committee shall have all of the powers and authority of the Board of Directors in the intervals between meetings of the Board of Directors, subject to the direction and control of the Board of Directors.
Section 3: Finance Committee. The Treasurer is chair of the Finance Committee, which includes three (3) other Board members and the Resource Mobilization Committee Chair. The Finance Committee is responsible for developing and reviewing fiscal procedures, a Fundraising Plan, and Annual Budget with staff and other Board members.
The Board must approve the budget, and all expenditures must be within the budget. Any major change in the budget must be approved by the Board or the Executive Committee. The fiscal year shall be the calendar year. Quarterly reports are required to be submitted to the Board showing income, expenditures and pending income.
The financial records of the Coalition are public information and shall be made available to the membership, Board members and the public.
ARTICLE VI – DIRECTOR
Section 1: Executive Director. The Executive Director is hired by the Board. The Executive Director has day-to-day responsibility for the Coalition, including carrying out the Coalition’s goals and Board policy.
The Executive Director will attend all Board meetings, report on the progress of the Coalition, answer questions of Board members and carry out the duties described in the job description. The Board can designate other duties as necessary. And has to be selected from the members of the board.
ARTICLE VII – AMENDMENTS
Section 1: These Bylaws may be amended when necessary by a two-thirds (2/3) majority of the Board of Directors. Proposed amendments must be submitted to the Secretary to be sent out with regular Board announcements.
NOTE: Other Roles and Responsibilities of other designated offices in the coalition is to be found in another document titled COALITION ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Thanks