Human trafficking presentation set April 28

The Fund for Women of Sussex County, in partnership with What Is Your Voice and Philanthropy Delaware, will present New York-based professional actor Mary Goggins in “Runaway Princess: A Hopeful Tale of Heroin, Hooking and Happiness.”

The performance will take place  at 2 p.m., Sunday, April 28, at Cape Henlopen High School, Lewes. It will be followed by a panel of experts discussing what the public can do to help combat the crisis of human trafficking in the county and state.

A take-action fair will be open before the performance, when nonprofits and service agencies in the state and county will be offering information to address this issue.

Goggin wrote the one-woman show to highlight her journey to overcome adverse periods of her life. An actor for nearly 25 years, she has appeared in numerous stage productions, television series, films and commercials. She believes “Runaway Princess” serves the purpose she was born for, to destigmatize addiction and all that goes with it, and drive home the utmost importance of normalizing emotions to connect humanity.

Sussex County and the State of Delaware are experiencing human trafficking in greater numbers as the conditions that are ripe for young girls to be taken advantage of by nefarious agents rise, including poverty, addiction, abuse, lack of parental supervision, social media and cyberbullying.

According to the Human Trafficking Courts, there were 16 cases of human trafficking in Delaware in 2022. Since the National Human Trafficking Hotline began in 2012, more than 500 victims of trafficking have been identified in Delaware, which does not include cases experts believe are going unreported.

Tickets for the event are $30 per person, and a portion of the proceeds will support various nonprofits working to help girls who are transitioning from a trafficking situation as they work to regain their lives and live independently.

Sponsorships begin at $1,000 and are available for any business, organization, nonprofit or individual interested in helping tackle this growing and dangerous issue.

What Is Your Voice provides Sussex County with fully trained and skilled domestic violence peer support advocates to empower individuals and children as they work to break free from domestic violence. Its team members provide a holistic approach for their clients’ body, soul and spirit, targeting rehabilitation and community reintegration in all forms by utilizing a multifocused strategy for self-sufficiency in housing, education and employment.

For more information and to purchase tickets, go to whatisyourvoice.com/runaway-princess/tickets.