NEW Abolitionists

William Silverman

Partner and Pro Bono Program Head, Proskauer Rose, and Counsel for the New York State Anti-Trafficking Coalition
William Silverman is a partner at Proskauer Rose, where he runs the firm’s global pro bono program. He also serves as counsel to the New York State Anti-Trafficking Coalition and hosts their monthly meetings. Mr. Silverman is formerly an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York. He has long been an advocate for victims of human trafficking and for increasing resources in Family Court.

“Attorneys in the private sector should not be content with individual pro bono cases but rather should advocate for changes in the law and public policy that better protect victims and better ensure that perpetrators are brought to justice. Only then will we start addressing the scourge of human trafficking.”

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“The #MeToo movement must include sexual trafficking, sexual exploitation, and prostitution as core violations because they are the nth degree of abuse, violence, and rape. Prostitution is not a victimless crime or an equivalent exchange; demand creates a giant market which traffickers fill with their human products.”

– Mira Sorvino

“It’s impossible to describe the experience of being owned by someone else, but what I can tell you is that I will work tirelessly for the rest of my life to stop other people from having to experience what I did.”

– Kenya, Trafficking Survivor