SALT LAKE CITY — When a woman leaves the sex trade, there is a 60 percent chance she will eventually be pulled back in.

With the hope of helping survivors of sex trafficking permanently break free from slavery, a group of local women created an organization called the Pomelo Project. Their first major project is aimed at facilitating conversation between survivors through a documentary.

“I read a book about sex trafficking and just really felt moved that I needed to get involved,” said Pomelo Project CEO Rebecca Lambson. “I spoke with a friend who had worked with me in a neuroscience lab back in college, and we flew out to Cambodia to meet with some nonprofits out there and find out where there was a need and what we could do to help.”

The women were informed that survivors need a social network, in addition to help learning skills that could lead to employment so they can provide for themselves. Since then, the Pomelo Project has been coordinating with centers that directly interact with women affected by sex trafficking to make a documentary aimed at letting survivors give fellow survivors support.

They are planning to interview survivors at a center in Cambodia who have expressed interest in the project, and then distribute the documentary to shelters and safe houses in the U.S. and Cambodia when it is completed. The Pomelo Project is currently using a Kickstarter campaign to raise funding.

“We felt that these other survivors were in the best position to provide this advice and encouragement because they really understood what it was like,” Lambson said.

Navigating life after escaping sex trafficking can be difficult. Sex trafficking is a complicated issue that involves victims from diverse backgrounds, according to Lambson. She said women without access to education are at a higher risk, and that sometimes a girl may be sold or forced into prostitution because her family or boyfriend sees her as a way to advance their economic position.

Lambson said in other instances, a woman may be forced into the sex trade after she accepts a false offer from a trafficker to work as a nanny or maid in another country. Traffickers often move the victims frequently so they become disoriented and dependent on them, she said.

“Sadly, even once a woman escapes, she suffers psychologically and often lacks the skills to provide for herself,” she said. “In some instances, her community rejects her for her past. In other instances, she is labeled a sex offender, making it difficult for her to find work.”

No one is in a better position to help survivors than other survivors, according to Lambson. She said they have demonstrated resilience and courage, and she hopes the documentary will be an empowering experience.

A director and producer from Los Angeles volunteered to work pro bono on the documentary. Most of the funds that are raised will go to costs for travel, equipment rentals and security.

“Something so inspirational about getting involved in a human rights effort is seeing how much people care,” Lambson said. “I’ve found that for all the negativity that there is in the world, and for everything bad that could happen, there really is every reason to help and that there is just a world of people committed to helping. It’s been exciting.”

The board of directors for the Pomelo Project — Lambson, Joan Westwood, Alex Larsen and Brittany Luketic — are.....

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"No one is in a better position to help survivors than other survivors, according to Lambson."

Is this true in this case? Seems like they might not be the best ones to help.