July 23, 2015 The Honorable Michael Rawlings Mayor City of Dallas 1500 Marilla Street, Room SEN Dallas, Texas 75201-6390 Dear Mayor Rawlings, Thank you for your strong and capable leadership of the City of Dallas. As board and staff members of Dallas Women's Foundation?the largest regional women?s fund in the world?we especially appreciate your and the City?s strong stance on eliminating degrading acts of violence against women and girls. We are writing today to express our deep concern and disgust that the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center, which is City prOperty, will host the Expo' in August. As you emphasized at the #StopSlaveryDallas symposmm in April, human trafficking in our City must stop. Ending human trafficking is, as you said, ?the next logical step in my campaign against domestic violence.? You have been and continue to be a great advocate for Victims of domestic violence and human trafficking. That is why we are deeply troubled by the fact that the Expo? is being hosted here in Dallas - not to mention that it is in the facility named to honor one of Dallas Women?s Foundation?s founders and a fierce and formidable advocate for the rights of women and girls. The Expo' is sponsored by several online escort services, and will feature numerous enterprises that contribute to the sex trade industry. In this region alone, sex trade is estimated to generate $99 million annually. For us, that figure translates into human tragedies - women and girls, as well as boys, living the harsh reality of commercial sexual exploitation. While it is too late for the City to cancel the Expo? here in August, we urge you, the City, the Convention Visitors Bureau and all those associated with convention recruiting not to solicit this event again, nor others like it. We do not want our City providing a cover of respectability for conventions that glorify and further the exploitation of and violence against women and girls. in January 2011, Dallas Women?s Foundation published the study, Adolescent Girls in Texas Sex Trade, which described the extent of commercial sexual exploitation of girls in the state. The findings were grim, indeed. The study reported that 740 girls were being trafficked in one month statewide, and of those, 256 were in Dallas/Fort Worth. The Dallas/Fort Worth metropolitan area accounted for 35% of the state?s internet and escort service activity OMM I MAio 35:: a BUAHD Ell DIE ii?RYtiJ'th' 5) involving the commercial sexual exploitation of girls, despite accounting for only 26% of the state?s total population. Today, Texas ranks second in the nation for the number of calls to the National Human Trafficking Hotline. We are working hard to and domestic human trafficking in North Texas. We have invested in programs and organizations committed to ending human trafficking and helping those victimized by the sex trade - organizations such as the Letot Girls Residential Center, New Friends New Life, Mosaic Family Services and Human Rights Initiative. We encourage you to join us in saying, "Not our women. Not our children. Not our city." Sincerely, WW Ellenore K. Baker Chair, Board of Directors @0575:ng oslyn Dawson Thompson President a: CEO cc: North Texas Coalition Against Human Trafficking Monica Alonzo, Mayor Pro Tem, Dallas City Council Jennifer 5. Gates, Dallas City Council Phillip Jones, Dallas Convention and Visitor?s Bureau Peg Hall, Dallas Convention and Visitor?s Bureau Eddie W. Reeves, Dallas Convention and Visitor?s Bureau Dr. Elba Garcia, Dallas County Commissuoners Court Dale Petroskey, Dallas Regional Chamber H. Ralph Hawkins, Dallas Regional Chamber EXFCUTIVF COMM NEE (Ill: ll.