Dear Friend,

13 years ago, I stood on a corner in Kaposvar, Hungary after teaching a young survivor of sex trafficking English lessons. I had just been sexually harassed by a group of men I had to walk past, a common occurrence, and I could see a pornographic ad on the front page of a newspaper being read by a man on a nearby bench. As I stood there, I felt this calling clear as day. I joined the fight to end sexual exploitation right then and have fought to make a difference in a world that has too long ignored the connections between forms of abuse I could see all around me.  

Shortly after that experience, NCOSE took me on as a volunteer and I later joined as Executive Director.  

I am honored to now serve as the CEO of NCOSE and look forward to realizing our grand goal and vision: a world free from all forms of sexual abuse and exploitation. 

I have stayed with NCOSE in the decade since because I've seen NCOSE step up as a unifying force, reigniting a global movement that demands no human being be sexually exploited, and no system, entity, or individual be allowed to profit from exploitation.  

Thanks to NCOSE’s galvanizing leadership many of us have found each other!  Despite our vast span of political ideologies, religions, social backgrounds, and tactics we bring to the table, we have seen sweeping change as we fight to create a world where all can thrive. I feel immense hope that our audacious vision of a world free from sexual abuse and exploitation truly is possible. 

It’s a world where: 

• My four babies can grow up without the dangers that come with an Internet that has no accountability for their safety. 

• Women and children aren’t devalued, exploited, and sold. 

• Each person can live free from the influences of pornography and the predatory commercial sex industry. 

It’s a world that: 

• Refuses to commodify human beings. 

• Embraces love and genuine human connection. 

• Provides equal opportunity for all to live free from the shadow of exploitation. 

Such a vision requires not only individuals and institutions that work towards its realization, but also a culture that embraces its responsibility to preserve and protect human dignity. 

This world is beyond the ability of any one individual or NCOSE to realize without the help of many others. Thank you for joining me and for bringing many more to this great cause.  We are seeing victories both big and small that speak to the possibility of such a world. I am eager to join with you in even bigger ways in the weeks, months, and years to come!  

Thankful to have you with us,

Dawn Hawkins

CEO

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