Elizabeth Smart reflects on life 20 years after kidnapping — Transcript

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1. 0:0020 years since Elizabeth Smart was
2. 0:01kidnapped and then held captive and
3. 0:03tortured for nine months. News
4. 0:05specialist Sherah Park spoke with Smart
5. 0:07today about the anniversary and the life
6. 0:09she's created since that time.
7. 0:13Life is hard and it has its ups and it
8. 0:18has its downs, but I also think life can
9. 0:21be very healing and I feel like it has
10. 0:24been for me. When Elizabeth Smart looks
11. 0:27back over the past 20 years, she doesn't
12. 0:29dwell on her kidnapping.
13. 0:30It's given me a chance to live.
14. 0:32And while others may, she doesn't see
15. 0:34herself as the little 14-year-old girl
16. 0:36plastered on missing posters.
17. 0:38If someone sees me always as the little
18. 0:41girl that was kidnapped, it's okay
19. 0:43because I know that yeah, that is me,
20. 0:47but that's not all of me. That was a
21. 0:49moment in time. I have a whole lifetime
22. 0:51of other experiences now. Smart says she
23. 0:54never expected to live life in the
24. 0:56spotlight, even after her kidnapping,
25. 0:58but says there was a defining moment as
26. 1:00details of her abuse were shared in
27. 1:02court.
28. 1:03For myself and for other survivors who
29. 1:06never have their day in court, I want to
30. 1:08give it some context and that's what got
31. 1:11me to write my book. Um, and it was kind
32. 1:14of like from there on out, it was just
33. 1:16kind of like, let's go. Smart studied
34. 1:19abroad, served an LDS mission, graduated
35. 1:21college, and became a wife and mother.
36. 1:24She created the Elizabeth Smart
37. 1:26Foundation, educating and advocating for
38. 1:28sexual abuse victims, hoping to bring an
39. 1:30end to victimization. This past year,
40. 1:32she joined forces with the Malo
41. 1:34Foundation to take the work even
42. 1:36further.
43. 1:37I feel like there is so much more
44. 1:40possible um with us together than just
45. 1:43me on my own.
46. 1:44For 20 years, Smart has created the life
47. 1:46she's wanted. when asked what she's most
48. 1:48proud of,
49. 1:49that I decided that I would put myself
50. 1:51out there and not just sharing my story,
51. 1:53but doing something about it.
52. 1:56And if there was one thing she wants
53. 1:57those who have followed her journey to
54. 1:59know, it's this.
55. 2:01I'm happy. I do this because I choose
56. 2:03to, not because it haunts me or it
57. 2:06traumatizes me. I do this because I want
58. 2:08to and because I want to make a
59. 2:10difference. And I'm so grateful for
60. 2:12everyone's kindness and love and support
61. 2:16and prayers and I look forward to to the
62. 2:20future and and to the change that I
63. 2:24believe will come.
64. 2:24Elizabeth asks that we all go to I am
65. 2:27onwatch.org. She asked that we take the
66. 2:29training designed to help us spot,
67. 2:31report, and prevent sex trafficking so
68. 2:33that another child doesn't go through
69. 2:35what she went through. Sher Park, KSL5
70. 2:38News. an incredible woman there. Thanks
71. 2:40a lot, Sherah.