Charter

THE CHARTER OF WOMEN’S RIGHTS ASSOCIATION AGAINST DISCRIMINATION (AKDER)

ARTICLE 1: NAME OF THE ASSOCIATION

WOMEN’S RIGHTS ASSOCIATION AGAINST DISCRIMINATION (AKDER)

ARTICLE 2: HEADQUARTER OF THE ASSOCIATION

The head office is in Istanbul, but branch offices can be opened due to the suitability.

ARTICLE 3: AIMS OF THE ASSOCIATION

To prevent all kind of discrimination against human rights, to improve the social conscious at that topic, especially to prevent interferences to women’s personal rights (e.g. education, work, career…), to build up the members’ conscious, to help improving their character, to redound the cooperation, knowledge, experiences between them and to transmit what is needed by people who are exposed to discrimination.

ARTICLE 4: ACTIVITIES OF THE ASSOCIATION

Association makes the following activities in order to reach its targets:

1. Organise any kind of meeting-either open or close, seminar, panel, public meeting, symposium, sport organisations, competitions, auctions, arrangements, remembrance days, and concerts in accordance with its targets.

2. Make joint studies and cooperate with other organisations, associations and foundations in accordance with its targets; make proposals to prevent the violation of human rights and discrimination between people; do certain plans and programmes in order to cooperate with them.

3. Contribute to education of students by giving scholarship or organising courses; build, buy or rent houses, youth hostels where students live; send students abroad for under-graduate or post-graduate education; publish papers prepared by academicians; found and run any kind of educational establishments and organise courses.

4. Have got real estates, rent buildings or establishments in order to achieve its goals or as an income; do commercial and cultural business; produce projects; found or purchase establishments or enter in a partnership for establishments.

5. Broadcast in radio or in television to reach its targets; do activities like broadcasting and publications; publish leaflets; prepare or get them prepared radio, TV or video programmes; use the latest technologies.

6. Express its opinion against the discrimination which damages human rights and prevents individual’s rights; get scientific studies and polls done and give the results to concerned organisations and give recommendations accordingly.

7. Offer financial, moral and legal help to individuals who are exposed to discriminations of any kind.

8. Do activities of any kind in order to achieve its goals in accordance to its regulations; cooperate with official or private people or establishments.

ARTICLE 5: FOUNDERS OF THE ASSOCIATION

The founders of the association whose names, occupations, addresses and nationalities shown below are the citizens of Republic of Turkey.

NAME OCCUPATION ADDRESS CITIZENSHIP
1.Sevgi Kurtulmus Academician Turkish
2.Serap Yasar Lawyer Turkish
3.Zuheyla Zeybel Self-employed person Turkish
4.Serife Kaya Laboratory worker Turkish
5.Halime Kibar Doctor Turkish
6.A. Tuba Bayrak Industry Engineer Turkish
7.Aynur Demirel Self-employed person Turkish
8.Nilufer Pehlivan Self-employed person Turkish
9.Leyla Sahin Self-employed person Turkish
10.H.Ozlem Besci Self-employed person Turkish
11.Methibe Yildiz Housewife Turkish

ARTICLE 6: REQUIREMENTS OF MEMBERSHIP AND ACCEPTANCE

Anybody who is 18 or older is legally competent and accepts the aims and principles of the association can obtain the membership. Non-Turkish people have to accommodate in Turkey in order to be a member of the association. Honorary members are also accepted by the decision of general assembly considering one’s contribution to human rights or to organisation itself.

Application for ordinary membership is made to management board by completing the membership declaration form. Management Board is responsible for investigation of the application and informing the applicant of the decision within 30 days. Obtaining acceptance depends on unanimous decision of the board. The board has right to reject any application without giving any reasons and the decision is final.

ARTICLE 7: RESIGNING AND EXPELLING FROM MEMBERSHIP

Every member has right to resign from membership provided that the board is informed by a written statement. Resignation is made by a petition to the board. Resigned member has to pay his/her prior contributions to the association. In case of death, membership will be invalid.

Any member who fails to fulfil the requirements written in the regulations or laws; does not pay the contribution; stops the association’s activities or makes activities against its aims; speaks, writes or behave in a way that can damage the association will be expelled from membership by the decision of the board.

ARTICLE 8: ORGANS OF THE ASSOCIATION

1) General Assembly of the Association: It is the competent organ of the association and constituted by natural and elected delegates. The board meets regularly and in emergency situation.

a) Natural Delegates: Natural delegates of the general assembly include both permanent and substitute members of the management board and control committee, constitute members, head of the management board in branch, members of the head office unless branches are founded.

b) Elected Representative: Two delegates from each branch are selected in the general assembly of branches without taking into consideration the number of the members attended and one delegate has to be selected for every ten members and delegates have right to attend the general assembly . The number of the members below ten is not taken into consideration.

General assembly meets regularly in March every two years.

2) Emergency general assembly meetings are held within 30 days of the call of the management board by the written request of 1/5 of members of management board or control committee or members of the association. In case of management board’s failure to call for emergency meeting, police-court magistrate, on request of 1/5 of the members of control committee or those calling for it, gives the responsibility of calling the general assembly for emergency meeting to 3-people committee out of members.

3) Invitation: The management board makes a list of members who are eligible for general assembly meeting in accordance to the regulations. Those members are invited for meeting where its date, time, place and agenda are published in the local newspaper 15 days earlier. Date of the next meeting is also published in advance in case of lack of enough number of members in that meeting. Those two meetings have to be a week apart. If the meeting is postponed for another reason, the new situation is explained with those reasons in the newspaper for the members. The meeting can not be postponed more than 2 months later.

ARTICLE 9: PLACE OF MEETING AND NUMBER NEEDED FOR MEETING

The general assembly meeting is held in the province where headquarter of the association is and held on the day, time and place about which governor is well informed. Number needed for regular or emergency meeting is half of the eligible members in accordance to regulations plus one.

If number needed for meeting is not achieved, that number is not required for the next meeting any more but the number of members present should not be less than half of those in management and control board.

ARTICLE 10: METHOD AND AGENDA OF MEETING

1) Members needed to be present for the general assembly meeting sign in the attendance paper, then go where the meeting is held. If number needed is not provided, it will be documented in a written minutes. The meeting is opened by the head of the management board or the one being appointed by the head. Meeting is not postponed in case of absence of superintendent of police. A president, vice-presidents and a secretary are selected for the meeting. The president leads the meeting. Report of the meeting signed by vice-presidents and the secretary is given to the management board.

2) Only topics in the agenda are discussed in general assembly meeting. New topics requested to be discussed by 1/10 0f the members present in the meeting are included to the agenda.

ARTICLE 11: DUTIES AND AUTHORITIES OF GENERAL ASSEMBLY

1) Election of organs of association
2) Change of regulations of association
3) Discussion of reports of management board and control committee, discharge of management board
4) Acceptance of budget with or without change prepared by management board
5) Authorisation of management board for purchase or sale of real estates
6) Decision of founding new branches, authorisation of founder of branch or management board and cancellation of branches
7) Participation or separation of association to the federation 8) Cancellation of the association
9) Carrying out the other duties recommended by general assembly in accordance to the regulations

ARTICLE 12: NUMBER NEEDED TO MAKE DECISION AT GENERAL ASSEMBLY

Decisions are made unanimously in general assembly. Each member can only vote one at a time. In case of each party has got the same number of votes, the decision supported by the head of the association is applied. Voting is done in an open way but the election of management board and control committee is done in a closed way and open count. Votes of 2/3 of the members are needed to cancel the result of the election.

ARTICLE 13: DUTIES AND ORGANISATION OF MANAGEMENT BOARD

1) Management board is constituted by at least seven permanent and seven substitute members. After being selected in a close voting system by general assembly, members are responsible for choosing a president, vice-presidents, secretary and an accountant. President of management board is at the same time the head of the association. Members of the general management board are elected for 2 years.

2) a) Represent the association or appoint one or more members to do this duty.

b) When general assembly decides to found branches, appoint the founder committee consisting of 3 members in order to make an application to the governor of where the branch is going to be found.

c) Take steps to achieve association’s goals, make decisions and apply them in practice.

d) Call the general assembly for regular or emergency meeting and prepare the agenda.

e) Form consultation committees and commissions in order to do academic and scientific studies in line with association’s aims and authorise members for it.

f) Purchase necessary equipments for association and rent places for duties.

g) Decide and authorise of members in order to start a lawsuit on behalf of the association.

h) Use his/her authorities and carry out other duties required by regulations and rules.

ARTICLE 14: MEETINGS OF MANAGEMENT BOARD

Management board meets at least once in a month. It is also possible that it can meet by the request of the president of board or two members. If a member fails to attend 3 consecutive meetings without an excuse, his/her membership could be cancelled.

If there are not enough permanent members present in the meeting, other members will substitute them. If the number of members in management board becomes half of it after all other members become substitute for permanent ones, general assembly is called for a meeting by present management board and control committee within a month. In case of management board’s failure to call for emergency meeting, police-court magistrate, on request of a member, gives the responsibility of calling the general assembly for emergency meeting to 3-people committee out of members.

ARTICLE 15: METHOD OF SELF-CONTROL OF ASSOCIATION AND DUTIES ON FORMATION OF CONTROL COMMITTEE

The association always welcomes inspection and is bound to carry out the duty of self-control by control committee. Rules of the formation and principles of control committee are as follows:

1) Control committee consists of 3 permanent and 3 substitute members selected by general assembly in close voting method. The head of the control committee is selected by the members of it.

2) The duty of control committee is to inspect the account and studies of the association, to notify the result of them and give advice to management board. The financial situation of the association is examined before the meeting of general assembly and presented in meeting of management board and general assembly with other studies.

ARTICLE 16: NOTIFICATION THE GOVERNOR OF SELECTED MEMBERS

The governor is given written notification by the head of the management board of name, surname, father’s name, place and date of birth, occupation and address of the selected members of management board and control committee in general assembly within 7 days after the election.

ARTICLE 17: FOUNDATION OF BRANCHES

Decision of foundation of new branches belongs to the general assembly if needed. Then a founder committee consisting of 3 members is formed by management board. This committee makes a written application for foundation of new branch to the governor of where the new branch is.

The file of application has to include name, surname, father’s name, place and date of birth, address, nationality of the founders, and address of the new branch, 2 copies of charter of the association and documents of authority. Founders have to be selected among those members accommodating where the new branch will be found for at least 6 months.

ARTICLE 18: ORGANS OF THE BRANCHES

Organs of the branches consist of branch general assembly, branch management board and branch control committee.

ARTICLE 19: DUTIES AND AUTHORITIES OF BRANCHES

Branch general assembly;
Branches are the internal organs of the association though have got its own place. The decisions of branches which are not approved by central management board do not bring any responsibility either financial or legal on central management board. Branch general assembly consists of all registered members to that branch. Branch general assembly meeting has to be held one month before the central general assembly.

Branch general assembly selects the members of branch management board, control committee and delegates for central general assembly. Election is held in a closed voting, open count method. Permanent and substitute members are selected according to the number of votes one has got.

Branch management board consists of 5 permanent and 5 substitute members selected by branch general assembly. Branch management board selects a president, 2 vice-presidents, a secretary and an accountant among its members. Branches founded by either general management board or central management board provided that it is given authority, carry out a general assembly meeting within 6 months. Branch management board can do an emergency meeting on request of 3 members of it. Branch management board meets at least once in a month. Branch management board carries out its works according to decisions of charter general assembly and general management board. Control committee consists of 3 permanent and 3 substitute members. Control committee is responsible for inspection of budget and expense of branch every 6 months.

ARTICLE 20: REPRESANTATION

All organs of association meet and all decisions are made with absolute majority, if not otherwise specified in the charter. If each party gets equal amount of votes then the one supported by the head of the association is accepted as majority.

ARTICLE 21: CONTRIBUTION OF MEMBERS

Annual contribution of a member equals to 3.000.000. - TL. The amount is determined by general assembly according to the budget.

ARTICLE 22: INCOME OF ASOCIATION

1) Members’ contribution
2) Income coming from activities like publications, charitable functions etc.
3) Incomes from wealth of association
4) Donation

ARTICLE 23: REGISTER AND RECORDS

The registers stamped by notary are as follows:

1) Member registration records (consists of member’s personal details, date of membership, date of quitting or expelling from membership, and amount of annual contribution)
2) Register of decisions (the decisions made by management board at regular and emergency meetings are written down on this register according to number and date or the papers in which the decisions are written down are pasted to the register book and signed by the head and members.)
3) Register of incoming and outgoing documents (Those documents are recorded to this register with explanation according to date and number.)
4) Register of income and expenditure (Source, reason and account of donations; reason and account of payments; assets and liabilities; possessions are all recorded to this register.)
5) Register of budget, balance sheet and account (Income and expenditure chart of budget and balance sheet of each work period are recorded to this register.)
6) Register of movable stock (Movable stock of association is recorded to this register.)
7) Register of registered documents (Initial and final serial numbers, date of giving and return, cost of registered documents and sign and name of people receiving are recorded this register.)

ARTICLE 24: METHOD OF INCOME AND EXPENDITURE

Registered document has to be issued in the collection of income and a receipt should be issued in any expenditures. Money for association is collected by accountant members selected by management board.

ARTICLE 25: CHANGE OF CHARTER OF ASSOCIATION

The charter of association can be changed on the request of 2/3 of members in general assembly meeting provided that the quorum is present according to Laws of Associations.

ARTICLE 26: WEALTH OF ASSOCIATION IN CASE OF CANCELLATION

It is general assembly’s responsibility to decide cancellation of the association. In order to make a decision on cancellation, 2/3 of the association’s members who are eligible to attend the general assembly should be present in general assembly meeting in first attempt. If required number is not present then general assembly meets again whatever the number of members and can discuss about the issue of cancellation. Decision of cancellation can only be issued only with 2/3 of members’ approval present in the meeting.

After the decision of cancellation, wealth of the association is donated to another association with same goals or a foundation. The final management board is responsible for dealing with transfer of association’ wealth.

ARTICLE 27: The decisions about topics which are not mentioned in the charter are made in accordance to Laws of Association, Civil Law and associated regulations.

TEMPORARY ARTICLES

ARTICLE 1: First general assembly meeting is held within 6 months after the association is founded. Association is presented and managed by a temporary management board consisting of 5 persons until the first general assembly meeting.

MEMBERS OF MANAGEMENT BOARD

TubaAkyuz
Guzeyya Bingol
HacerYildiz
Aynur Demirel Gormez
Arzu Burcu Bilgiç
Nurcan Solak
Firgat Aydin