Sean 'Diddy' Combs case puts new spotlight on how to help sex trafficking, abuse victims

PASADENA, Calif (KABC) -- The federal allegations against music mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs are bringing new attention to issues of domestic violence and sex trafficking.

The Pasadena-based nonprofit Shepherd's Door helps victims of sexual abuse, and its leaders say such crimes can often start with someone close to the victim.

"Most people that find themselves in sex trafficking are not people who willfully want to go into that line of work," said Shepherd's door co-director Tunisia Offray. "It usually happens by force. It usually happens because there is some form of trust."

Combs was already facing multiple lawsuits alleging abuse and sex trafficking. This week a federal indictment was unsealed accusing him of racketeering, sex trafficking and other offenses. He has entered a not-guilty plea and is being held without bail in New York.

The arrest comes months after his former girlfriend Cassie Ventura filed a civil suit alleging similar crimes. Diddy denied the crimes and the suit was settled out of court.

Offray says power, control and manipulation are the driving forces behind anyone who is trafficked, even by someone the victim intimately knows.

"You may even be in a relationship with this person and somehow you are coerced into doing things that you're not comfortable with in order to meet their agenda."

While it can happen to anyone, black people and the LGBT community are most at risk according to the National Human Trafficking Hotline. That's because of historic oppression, discrimination and generational trauma.

Other risk factors include: unstable housing; a history of sexual abuse; undocumented immigrants; and drug addiction.

Experts say other signs to look out for can include a person who is withdrawn, timid, or codependent on another person.

How long does the recovery take for someone that has been trafficked?

"You never recover," Ofray says. "You have to learn to live with that abuse for the rest of your life. With therapy and support you learn to carry it and deal with it in a more healthy way."

Help is available from the National Human Trafficking Hotline here or by calling (888)373-7888. Anyone who believes they are in immediate danger is advised to call 911.