HOLLYWOOD, FLA. — Florida Senator Lauren Book — survivor of childhood sexual abuse, Founder/CEO of Lauren’s Kids, and the Florida Legislature’s preeminent fighter for child protection — has issued the following statement in response to breaking news revealing that Sean “Diddy” Combs was taken into custody on federal sex trafficking and racketeering charges.
“Like other abusers who have preceded Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs – and, sadly, those who will come after – he must be made to know that we will not stand for this reprehensible behavior. As a society, we must be united in enforcing a zero-tolerance policy for all forms of abuse and exploitation. Abusers will face justice and be held fully accountable for their actions.
Today’s indictment revealed that Combs was engaged in more than a decade of sexual and physical abuse and coercion and placed him at the center of a coordinated criminal enterprise, credibly alleging crimes such as sex trafficking, forced labor, drug offenses, kidnapping, bribery, and more. Within the last year, it has also been reported that some of his victims were minors.
The acts described are unconscionable, and equally disheartening is that numerous people with inside knowledge of what was taking place stood idly by and allowed the abuse to continue.
We must do better for our children and our society. When survivors of sexual abuse come forward, we must believe them and start the process of helping them heal – and that includes holding their abusers accountable to the fullest extent of the law.
I applaud the bravery of the women and men who have come forward to use their voices to stop this systematic abuse. I also thank law enforcement for their months-long investigation that led to this arrest.”
Book is a passionate advocate for sexual abuse prevention, noting that 95 percent of abuse is preventable through education and awareness. Her advocacy has resulted in dozens of laws being changed to better protect children and keep predators at bay, including enacting the toughest abuse reporting law in the nation following the Penn State/Jerry Sandusky failure to report case. She has walked across the state of Florida nine times to raise awareness and advocate for change, and created an abuse prevention curriculum being used in 46 states across the country to educate millions of children and adults about personal safety each year. Learn more at LaurensKids.org.
BACKGROUND from the Associated Press:
Sean “Diddy” Combs was due in court Tuesday on federal sex trafficking and racketeering charges that he hit and abused women for over a decade and presided over an empire of sexual crimes.
The music mogul “engaged in a persistent and pervasive pattern of abuse toward women and other individuals,” according to an indictment unsealed Tuesday.
The indictment details allegations dating to 2008 that he abused, threatened and coerced women for years “to fulfill his sexual desires, protect his reputation, and conceal his conduct.” He is accused of inducing female victims and male sex workers into drugged-up, sometimes days-long sexual performances dubbed “Freak Offs” in the indictment, which refers obliquely to an attack on his former girlfriend, the R&B singer Cassie, that was captured on video.
