Elizabeth Smart

Elizabeth Ann Gilmour (née Smart; born November 3, 1987) is an American child safety activist and commentator for ABC News.

She gained national attention at age 14 when she was abducted from her home in Salt Lake City by Brian David Mitchell.

Mitchell and his wife, Wanda Barzee, held Smart captive for nine months until she was rescued by police officers on a street in Sandy, Utah.

Smart has since gone on to work as an activist and advocate for missing persons.

Her life and abduction have been the subject of numerous non-fiction books and films.

Elizabeth Ann Smart was born on November 3, 1987, in Salt Lake City, Utah, to Edward "Ed" and Lois Smart.

Her family was part of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

She is the second-oldest child in her family; she has four brothers and one sister.

Smart attended Bryant Middle School and East High School in Salt Lake City.

She later enrolled in Brigham Young University, where she earned her Bachelor of Music in harp performance.

On June 5, 2002, 14-year-old Smart was abducted at knifepoint from her bedroom in her family's house in Salt Lake City, Utah.

For the next nine months, she was raped daily, tied up, and threatened with death if she attempted to escape.

She was rescued by police officers on March 12, 2003, on a public street in Sandy, Utah, 18 mi from her home.

Two witnesses recognized abductors Brian David Mitchell and Wanda Ileen Barzee from an America's Most Wanted episode.

On March 8, 2006, Smart spoke before the United States Congress to support sexual predator legislation and the Amber alert system.

On July 26, 2006, she spoke at an event held following the signing of the Adam Walsh Act.

Smart was one of five recovered young adults who contributed entries to the 2008 book You're Not Alone, which was published by the U.S. Department of Justice.

She appeared at a May 2008 event promoting the book.

On November 16, 2009, Barzee pled guilty to assisting in the Kidnapping of Elizabeth Smart as part of a plea bargain with prosecutors.

In 2009, Smart commented on the kidnapping of Jaycee Lee Dugard.

She shared that, in her own experience of recovering from trauma, she had found dwelling on the past to be unproductive.

In October 2009, Smart spoke at the 2009 Women's Conference in California (hosted by Maria Shriver) on the topic of overcoming obstacles in life.

On May 19, 2010, federal Judge Dale A. Kimball sentenced Barzee to 15 years in federal prison.

As part of a plea deal between the defense and federal prosecutors, he gave Barzee credit for seven years that she had already served.

The court found Mitchell competent to stand trial for kidnapping and sexual assault charges.

He was found guilty on both counts and sentenced in May 2011 to two life terms in federal prison.

In 2011, Smart founded the Elizabeth Smart Foundation, which aims to bring hope and end the victimization and exploitation of sexual assault through prevention, recovery, and advocacy.

In March 2011, Smart was one of four women awarded the Diane von Furstenberg Award.

On July 7, 2011, ABC News announced that she would work as a commentator for them, mainly focusing on missing persons.

In July 2012, Theta Phi Alpha National Fraternity honored Smart with the Siena Medal award.

The medal is the highest honor the organization bestows upon a non-member.

They named it after their patroness, St. Catherine of Siena.

On May 1, 2013, in a speech at a human trafficking conference at Johns Hopkins University, Smart discussed the need to emphasize individual self-worth in fighting human trafficking and the importance of dispelling cultural myths surrounding girls' loss of value upon sexual contact.

Having been raped by her captor, she recalled the destructive impact of exposure to abstinence-only sexual education programs.

Many of them teach that a sexually active girl is akin to a chewed piece of gum.

"I thought, 'Oh, my gosh, I'm that chewed up piece of gum, nobody re-chews a piece of gum, you throw it away.' And that's how easy it is to feel like you no longer have worth, you no longer have value," Smart said.

"Why would it even be worth screaming out? Why would it even make a difference if you are rescued? Your life still has no value."

Smart went on to ask that listeners educate children on having self-worth, avoiding viewing themselves as victims.

In February 2014, Smart testified before the Utah State House of Representatives in favor of HB 286.

The bill would create an optional curriculum for use in Utah schools to provide training on child sexual abuse prevention.