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World Society of Victimology
Basic Statutes of Incorporation

Registered with the Court's Corporation Register in Mönchengladbach, Germany, Document # 3040/1992 of WSV Notar Dr. Matthias Neuhausen, Kaiserstrasse 51, 41061 Mönchengladbach,
Germany, Phone 49 2161 22051, mail@notar-neuhausen.de (corresponding to Court Document 2709/1994)

1 Name, Office and Legal Form

1. The Society takes the name World Society of Victimology e. V.
2. The Society is listed as a legally competent organization in the register of the office of the court in Mönchengladbach, Niederrhein, Germany.
3. The office of the Society is Mönchengladbach. Office relocations can be made by the Executive Committee. The primary determinant in location should be its accessibility to the largest number of Executive Committee members.
4. The business year will be the calendar year.
5. The business language will be in English.

2 Purpose and Task of the Society

1. The Society exclusively and directly follows the common and scientific aims according to the chapters on tax privilege aims of the German Tax Law.
2. Purpose of the Society
1. to advance victimological research and practices in the entire world.
2. to encourage interdisciplinary and comparative work and research in this field; and, to advance cooperation of international, national, regional and local agencies and work groups who are concerned with the problems of victims in the entire world. The purpose of the Basic Statute of Incorporation is realized especially:
3. by providing an International Symposium for Victimology ordinarily every three years that will serve as a forum for international scholars, practitioners, and students,
4. periodic seminars, work shops and institutes;
5. a variety of publications;
6. cooperation between victimologists throughout the world so as to initiate and maintain an active exchange of ideas.
3. The World Society of Victimology may give or take financial supports, scholarships, or grants.

3 Unselfishness

1. The Society is active in altruistic endeavors.
   
2. In the first place it does not pursue profitable purposes. It may not give benefits which are unknown to the purpose of the corporation, not favors which are not equitable.
3. Resources of the Society may only be used in accordance with the Basic Statue of Incorporation: The members may not receive dividends nor other profits from Society sources. By dissolving the Society or by abolition of its purpose, the capital of the Society will go to the International Red Cross whose main office is in Geneva and who will use the capital directly and only for charitable purposes.*

4 Members

1. Membership in the World Society of Victimology may be persons and organizations who are devoted to the study of Victimology and the improvement of the plight of victims. This may include scientists, students, organizations, victim helpers, volunteers, lay persons and others.
2. The membership of individual persons is acquired according to the following options: The member can become an active personal member, a student member, an honorary member, or a life-time member. Further regulations will be decided by the Executive Committees. Collective memberships can be generated from local, regional, national, or International victimologically involved organizations or institutions which are dedicated to the improvement of the plight of victims, research, education and the provision of services for victims.

5 Membership

1. The membership is developed through admission in the Society upon written application. The admission is accepted by the Treasurer.
2. No qualified applicant may be refused membership due to ethnic origin, creed, political orientation, sex, or religion.
3. Membership ends
1. upon written resignation of the member effective at the end of the business year,
2. upon death,
3. automatically upon nonpayment of dues for three consecutive years,
4. when the organization as a collective membership is dissolved,
4. Membership dues can be increased only upon the Executive Committee's decision. The Executive committee specifies the increase in advance.
5. The rights of membership including the right to vote may be exercised only on payment of dues.
6. Student members may be accepted at a reduced fee to be decided by the Executive Committee from time to time but are not eligible to vote.

6 The Bodies of the Membership

1. The highest body is the General Membership. It consists of all members of WSV.
2. In its place stands the Assembly (Membership Meeting) which is made up of all the members in good standing" who assemble and express their will at the call of the President.
3. The Executive Committee is the leading authority of the Society and carries out all decisions under the mandate of the General Membership.
4. The Organizing Committee is a working group available to the current host of a symposium. The host of a symposium is always the chair of this committee. He or she selects the committee members.

7 The Membership Assembly

1. The Assembly (Membership Meeting) occurs during each Symposia. It is normally called together every three years; this began with the first founding meeting in Münster in 1979.
2. The Membership Meetings are normally called by written notice, for example through notice of a symposium where the place, the time and the agenda of the membership meeting is given. Notifications will be made at least three months before the meeting date. The notice may be made through The Victimologist which is the newsletter of the World Society of Victimology.
3. The Membership Meeting represents the highest body of the World Society of Victimology and makes decisions about the three year's report of the president. It decides over the general direction of work of the Society and gives directives to the Executive Committee.
4. At Membership Meetings decisions may be made without regard to the number of attending members. Decisions may be made by a majority of members present and voting.
5. Membership Meetings must be called by the Secretary General when 45% of the members give written notice which states the purpose and the need of a meeting.
6. The results of Membership Meetings must be stated in a protocol and signed by the Secretary General.

8 The General Membership

1. The expression of will by the General Membership may be made through mail or e-mail balloting. The decision to go to a mail or ballot has to be given to the members in writing, when possible through The Victimologist. The items to be voted on will be included in ballot form in the announcement. If the Basic Statutes of Incorporation is to be changed and if elections to the Executive Committee must be made, such decisions are made only via mail or e-mail ballot.
2. The General Membership is able to make decisions without regard to the number of returning votes. For changes in the Basic Statutes of Incorporation a majority of 2/3 of the received votes are needed, in all other cases the simple majority of the returned ballots are sufficient.
3. The results of the mail ballots will be announced either in The Victimologist or other valid forms.

9 The Executive Committee

1. The Executive Committee is the governing body of the Society. It shall be composed of members of the Society and shall consist of 15 persons (12 elected, 3 coopted - see § 9 chapter 8).
2. The Executive Committee should be composed so that a wide geographical base of representation is achieved.
3. The Executive Committee is legally represented by the President and the Secretary General (§ 26 BGB).
4. After each election, the Executive Committee will meet and elect Executive Committee Members to the following offices:
1. President
2. Vice President
3. A second Vice President if required
4. Treasurer
5. Secretary General
5. 1/2 of the elected Executive Committee members are elected on a rotating basis. Each member remains on the Executive Committee for six years.
6. Re-election is possible.
7. If a person is reelected to the Executive Committee, he or she may be reelected to an office if it is deemed in the best interests of the Society.
8. The Executive Committee shall appoint up to three members of the Society as coopted members. These members have the right to participate in the deliberations and to vote.
9. Decisions are to be made by the majority of the members present and voting.
10. A Quorum will be six members.
11. Expulsion from the Executive Committee will be permitted when a member misses two meetings without an acceptable explanation any time during their six year term. The Secretary General will monitor the attendance record of each EC member and notify the Executive Committee if someone is absent twice. The preferred process is to ask the member with two absences to resign. That person’s vacant position would be filled by a selection process within the Executive Committee at the earliest opportunity.

10 Office Holders

1. The President is the principal representative of the Society and chairs each meeting of the Executive Committee and of the General Assembly.
2. The Vice-President acts on behalf of the President in the event of absence and also takes responsibility for managing work in progress delegated by the President.
3. A second Vice-President may be appointed to supervise additional work in progress, if required by the Executive Committee.
4. The Treasurer is in charge of the Society’s financial activities and reports annually to the Executive Committee and to the members on the financial status of the Society. The Treasurer also chairs the Budget Committee and makes recommendations to the Executive Committee on all financial matters.
5. The Secretary General is the second representative of the organisation in relation to external affairs. S/he also prepares minutes of all meetings of the Executive Committee and of the General Assembly. S/he supervises all ballots carried out under the provisions of Section 8. In the absence of the Secretary General, another member of the Executive Committee (with the exception of the President) may be appointed to carry out these duties.
6. The President and the Secretary General are ex officio members of all the committees established by the Executive Committee.

11 Committees

The Executive Committee will establish committees to undertake and to progress work of the Society. The terms of reference and the levels of delegation will be established from time to time by the Executive Committee and will be published in a Procedures Manual, which is available to the membership. The Chair of each committee will be appointed by the Executive Committee and will account to the Executive Committee for the work which is being carried out.

Chairs of committees appointed by the Executive Committee who do not carry out the work delegated to that committee, or who do not report effectively to the Executive Committee, will be replaced and will not be eligible for re-election to the Executive Committee.

12 The International Symposia

The World Society of Victimology promotes and carries out the series of International Symposia of Victimology which are ordinarily held every three years and which are numbered continuously, starting with the First International Symposium on Victimology in Jerusalem, the Second International Symposium on Victimology was in 1976 in Boston, and the Third International Symposium on Victimology was 1979 in Münster (where the World Society of Victimology was established). The location of the Symposia will be decided upon by the Executive Committee with recommendations from the members.

13 Awards

1. The Society distributes
1. The Hans von Hentig Award: This award is the highest award our Society can give and is presented in remembrance of the famous pioneer of Victimology, Hans von Hentig. It is ordinarily presented every 3 years to a person, who has made a significant contribution in the field of Victimology. Each member of the Society may nominate a candidate to the President. Before each Symposium convenes, the Executive Committee decides who will receive the award.
2. Certificates of Appreciation: This Award will be given to deserving individuals to recognize major accomplishments and/or special events significant to the field of Victimology. This Award will be decided upon by the Executive Committee and signed by the President and the Secretary General. This Award may be presented as often as deemed appropriate. Nominations for this Award must be made in writing to the President and may only be from a member in good standing of the Society.
3. The Executive Committee may establish additional awards as they consider appropriate.
2. The Society recognizes Approved Honorary Members: The Approved Honorary Membership is awarded to an individual, to honor his or her progress and also significant accomplishment in the victimological field. The Honorary Membership is decided by the Executive Committee and is awarded by the President or Secretary General. The Honorary Membership can be given as the Executive Committee finds the need for it. Nominations for this award must be given in written form from one member of the Society to the President.

 

14 Publications

1. Newsletter: The World Society of Victimology may publish The Victimologist in English. The editor(s) of the WSV Newsletter are nominated by the President, decided upon by the Executive Committee, and are announced by the President. The Newsletter serves as a medium to exchange information and ideas from victimologists throughout the world. In further serves to inform the members about the Society, and for those specific purposes already mentioned in this Basic Statute of Incorporation.
2. Journals: The World Society of Victimology may publish journals, either separately or in co-operation with other international organizations, which present meaningful contributions for victimology. Any journal published solely by the World Society of Victimology will have an Editorial Board and a Managing Editor appointed by the Executive Committee. The journal will appear in English.
3. Other publications: The Society may publish a Directory of Victimology, stating the names, addresses and areas of victimological interests for people throughout the world. The World Society of Victimology may aid and carry out the development of a Bibliography of Victimological Literature. The Society may aid, carry out, and publish other publications, as it finds appropriate to its goals.

 

15 Procedures

1. In conducting business the World Society of Victimology follows acknowledged procedures, which are suitable for use in international affairs for example the Robert's Rules of Order".
2. The proceedings and the standing orders of each meeting and each committee shall be determined by the chair with the support of its members.