Elizabeth Smart: Turning Trauma Into Hope for Survivors

Twenty-four years after her rescue, Elizabeth Smart is still fighting for survivors, but now she's doing it with the wisdom of a parent and advocate who's helped thousands find their voice.

Smart was 14 when she was abducted from her bedroom and held captive for nine months. Today, at 38, she's partnered with Netflix for a new documentary that tells both sides of her story: the terrified girl who survived and the family who never stopped searching.

When Smart first returned home, she felt completely isolated. She didn't know anyone else who had been kidnapped, and conversations about sexual violence were rare. The shame she felt was overwhelming, even though she knew logically it wasn't her fault.

"I ended up feeling very isolated, very alone," Smart shared with CNN. That loneliness became her motivation to speak up.

After her captor's trial made the details public anyway, Smart decided her story should serve a purpose. She dove into advocacy work, determined that if her trauma was going to be known, it would help others heal too.

Why This Inspires

Smart discovered something powerful: statistics shock people, but stories change them. Connecting faces to numbers creates emotional impact that raw data can't match. Now she shares her experience so other survivors know they're not alone and don't have to carry the same shame she once felt.

The documentary reveals new perspectives, including parallel stories from her father, uncles, and sister. As a parent herself now, Smart sees her family's suffering through different eyes. "I would gladly go through another kidnapping to protect my children from ever experiencing that," she said, understanding her parents' anguish in ways she couldn't as a teenager.

Her three children know what happened to her in age-appropriate terms. When she says no to sleepovers or restricts their social media access, they sigh and say, "I know it's because you want to protect us." Her experience taught her real dangers exist, and she's unapologetic about keeping her kids safe.

Smart believes her trauma gave her unexpected gifts: deeper compassion, greater empathy, and understanding of how common sexual violence and abuse really are. She's committed to changing the culture around these crimes and providing better education and support for survivors.

She's also working to shift focus from perpetrators to victims, challenging the tendency to put survivors through a "court of public opinion" that questions whether they're worthy of sympathy.

Smart's message is clear: survival isn't just about enduring. It's about transforming pain into purpose and ensuring no one faces their darkest moments alone.