Montclair Residents Make a Difference in Lives of Sex Trafficking Victims

On September 22, members of New York’s legal, civic and gender violence communities gathered to honor New York County District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance, Jr. and Brenna K. DeVaney, Pro Bono Counsel, Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP (Skadden), at Sanctuary for Families “Eighteenth Annual Abely Awards.”

Gloria Steinem, writer, editor and feminist organizer, presented the awards. The event was co-hosted with Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP (Davis Polk) and Columbia Law School.

Since 1997, the Abely Awards have celebrated the life and legacy of Maryellen Abely, a pro bono attorney at Sanctuary for Families’ Center for Battered Women’s Legal Services. An alumna of Columbia Law School, and an associate at Davis Polk, Abely was a tireless advocate for the rights of victims of domestic abuse and one of Sanctuary’s first pro bono attorneys. She died in 1995 after a long battle with cancer.

District Attorney Vance, a national leader in criminal justice reform, received The Abely Award for Leading Women and Children to Safety in recognition of his social justice approach to prosecution and his pioneering Human Trafficking Program.

Established in 2012, the program recognizes that prostitution is not a victimless crime and is intimately linked to the violent sex trafficking trade. The program seeks to dismantle the sex trafficking market by focusing on all components of the crime including traffickers and pimps, the drivers, other accomplices, and those whose patronage fuels the sex trafficking industry.

As President of the New York State District Attorneys Association in 2012, District Attorney Vance partnered with advocates to champion legislative reform, including the proposed Trafficking Victims Protection and Justice Act.

Brenna K. DeVaney, Pro Bono Counsel at Skadden, received The Abely Pro Bono Achievement Award. DeVaney, the former Chair of Sanctuary’s Pro Bono Council, has been actively involved with Sanctuary for Families since 2001, and currently serves a member of its Legal Advisory Council. A teenage victim of sexual assault, DeVaney has dedicated her life and her work to ending sexualized violence and protecting women’s rights. She currently coordinates Skadden’s pro bono work in New York and represents women and families affected by gender violence.

“District Attorney Vance and Ms. DeVaney have demonstrated exemplary commitment to protecting victims of gender violence. Sanctuary for Families is proud to honor their service,” said Hon. Judy Harris Kluger, Executive Director, Sanctuary for Families.

“We also warmly remember the life and work of Maryellen Abely. Her example has led the way for the dedicated pro bono attorneys and law students who assist Sanctuary for Families in leading thousands of victims of gender violence from fear and abuse to safety and stability every year,” Judge Kluger added.

Delivering remarks at the ceremony were special guests Thomas J. Reid, Managing Partner, Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP and The Honorable Jonathan Lippman, Chief Judge of the State of New York.

Also on hand for the ceremony was Columbia Law School student Alexandra Swain, recipient of the 2014 Maryellen Abely Fellow Award presented annually to a Columbia student, who is committed to working with victims of domestic violence and sex trafficking. The fellowship, underwritten by Davis Polk, provided a summer internship opportunity for Swain this past summer in Sanctuary for Families legal department.

Photo 1 – (L-R) – Gloria Steinem, Chief Judge Jonathan Lippman, Honoree and Manhattan DA Cy Vance Jr., Honoree Brenna Devaney, Legal Center Director Dorchen Leidholdt, Thomas J. Reid, Managing Partner, Davis Polk & Wardwell