Elizabeth Smart on journey from shame to fighting for change — Transcript

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1. 0:00Elizabeth Smart in her first sit-down
2. 0:01interview since getting word of release
3. 0:03of one of her kidnappers
4. 0:05Wanda bar Z is all set to be freed
5. 0:07tomorrow after Utah officials determined
6. 0:09that they miscalculated the 72 year old
7. 0:12prison sentence bar Z and Brian David
8. 0:15Mitchell were convicted for their roles
9. 0:16in smarts abduction and captivity that
10. 0:19lasted for nine months beginning in 2002
11. 0:21in an interview that you'll see only on
12. 0:23CBS this morning
13. 0:24Elizabeth opens up about how bars he's
14. 0:27coming release changed her do you still
15. 0:30believe that she's a danger why did why
16. 0:33do you feel that way I do believe she's
17. 0:35still a danger through my sources I've
18. 0:37heard that she's still carrying around
19. 0:39this book of revelations that Brian
20. 0:42Mitchell wrote that said that he should
21. 0:46kidnap me and not just kidnap me but six
22. 0:48other young girls and that would all be
23. 0:50his wives clearly she hasn't let it go
24. 0:52according to the justice system she has
25. 0:55served her time despite the
26. 0:56miscalculation that was made and people
27. 0:59could say but that's the way our justice
28. 1:01system works she did a terrible crime
29. 1:05she has paid the price what do you say
30. 1:08about that I would say this whole
31. 1:11situation circumstance has really given
32. 1:16me a greater appreciation and
33. 1:20understanding for how all of those
34. 1:23thousands of victims whose cases never
35. 1:26even make it to court whose perpetrators
36. 1:29who are walking free from the day that
37. 1:31they violated them or raped them or
38. 1:34kidnapped them or hurt them in any way
39. 1:36and nothing was ever done and this case
40. 1:39did this case did receive some measure
41. 1:42of justice but I think it's given me a
42. 1:47greater compassion and understanding for
43. 1:49how all of those victims and survivors
44. 1:53must feel and it makes me really think
45. 1:56that I don't think that this justice
46. 2:00system is a victims system you've also
47. 2:06said that you're grateful for the
48. 2:08experience help us understand that
49. 2:11I mean it changed me as a person I
50. 2:14wouldn't have the voice that I have
51. 2:17today I wouldn't have the compassion or
52. 2:21the empathy that I have today I wouldn't
53. 2:24understand what it's like to you know
54. 2:28walk the proverbial mile in their shoes
55. 2:31but I have have been there I do know
56. 2:35what it's like when you first went back
57. 2:37home did you live in a state of feared
58. 2:39were you constantly concerned about your
59. 2:42safety I was still concerned but I
60. 2:45wasn't consumed I liked that concern but
61. 2:48not consumed you're a very private
62. 2:50person but you decided to share this
63. 2:52story in hopes that it would help others
64. 2:55for years after I was rescued I I didn't
65. 3:00want anyone to know what had happened
66. 3:03truthfully I think I was ashamed and I
67. 3:06was embarrassed I didn't want people to
68. 3:09know that I'd been raped I think I got
69. 3:11to a point where I just felt like this
70. 3:14is not okay no survivor should feel like
71. 3:18they have to hide what happened to them
72. 3:22and serve I like need to be the girl
73. 3:25who's known for being kidnapped and
74. 3:27raped then so be it if it's gonna help
75. 3:30promote change and if it's gonna help
76. 3:32other survivors move forward with their
77. 3:35lives and not feel ashamed of what's
78. 3:36happened fine I'll do it that's a
79. 3:41powerful thing she said that there that
80. 3:43she didn't want anybody to know and then
81. 3:45she started thinking why am I the one
82. 3:46that's ashamed yeah she tells really
83. 3:48horrible stories about them coming home
84. 3:51with the Flyers with her picture on it
85. 3:52laughing saying everybody's looking for
86. 3:54you but they're never gonna find you
87. 3:55because we have you and you're never
88. 3:57gonna get away from here and she started
89. 3:59thinking about her life and thinking how
90. 4:00she could help others and now she's
91. 4:02married she's been married for a while
92. 4:04she's 30 years old guys she's got two
93. 4:06children she's seven and a half months
94. 4:08pregnant now and she says she's happier
95. 4:10now than she's ever been
96. 4:11you know like she's found a place for
97. 4:13this as she said to you that phrase I'm
98. 4:14concerned but I'm not consumed by it I'm
99. 4:17isn't that great to think you could be
100. 4:19in that place about something that is
101. 4:21troubling you and what she's been
102. 4:22through in her life now that this woman
103. 4:24who was
104. 4:25second abusable really both of them but
105. 4:27it's interesting you picked up on that
106. 4:29too because when she said that the hairs
107. 4:30on the back of my neck stood up
108. 4:31concerned but not consumed she's a very
109. 4:34smart very poised very capable woman
110. 4:36who's going to do great thing and is
111. 4:38doing great things very much and when
112. 4:40she said that this experience when she
113. 4:42talked about all the great benefits of
114. 4:43this experience and reminded me of John
115. 4:45McCain who said his five years in prison
116. 4:47you know that he wouldn't have changed
117. 4:48that because of web the person that he
118. 4:50made him to be to be able to take that
119. 4:52kind of experience and and use it as a
120. 4:54rock to stand on is a real amazing news
121. 4:56and forgive you know she says I've
122. 4:58forgiven I don't give them any thought
123. 4:59forgiven and I've moved on because you
124. 5:02know we get another girl thank you Oh