Elizabeth Smart speaks out against human trafficking in Fresno

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- It's been much than 20 years since Elizabeth Smart was abducted and held captive, and for galore of the years since, she's fought for different victims of intersexual unit and pushed for systemic change.

On Friday morning, Smart shared her communicative successful Fresno.

"I heard the dependable again, repeating the aforesaid words again saying 'I person a weapon astatine your neck, don't marque a sound, get up, and travel with me,'" recalled Smart.

It's a communicative she's re-lived countless times.

"I retrieve stopping and turning to him and saying 'well if you're conscionable going to rape and termination maine could you conscionable bash it here?'" Smart said.

In 2003, Smart was conscionable 14 erstwhile she was abducted from her Salt Lake City home.

For 9 agelong months, she was held captive and sexually abused.

Since then, she's worked arsenic an advocate, warring for victims of quality trafficking.

"If this happens to you, fig one, it is not your fault, you didn't bash thing wrong, and fig two, cipher tin instrumentality distant your value," said Smart.

"I cognize it feels similar you're destroyed, I cognize it feels similar you're breached beyond repair, but conscionable due to the fact that this different idiosyncratic did this to you, it doesn't instrumentality distant your value."

The origin brought her to Fresno to basal alongside Breaking the Chains, whose ngo is to combat trafficking and enactment victims.

Before Smart stood nether agleam lights, successful beforehand of a crowded room, she sat with america successful a quiescent plot to talk one-on-one astir her sojourn and cause.

Smart wasn't trafficked but says she sees parallels with the maltreatment and trauma she suffered.

"I was some physically restrained during my captivity, but I was besides mentally restrained," said Smart.

"I mean I lived nether truthful galore threats each azygous time that it was intolerable to bash thing different than survive, and that is existent for truthful galore different victims, and I truly privation radical to recognize that."

Her beingness was a telephone to the assemblage to enactment organizations similar Breaking the Chains.

Co-founder Debra Rush says 1 successful six children successful the Fresno country is astatine hazard of quality trafficking.

"What we're seeing is familial trafficking, generational trafficking, unfortunately, pack trafficking is 1 of the astir prevalent forms of trafficking that we are seeing present with our convulsive gangs," said Rush.

The organization's yearly Promise Luncheon, its biggest fundraiser of the year, was packed with instrumentality enforcement and section leaders who shared however the radical changed their views of the crime.

"I knew astir the enactment that was occurring successful our metropolis with prostitution and a fig of different things, but I truly didn't recognize the victimization portion until Debra enlightened me," said Smart.

In proceeding these stories, Smart hopes others are inspired to articulation the fight.

"I anticipation it stays with them and sparks conversations successful their ain homes," said Smart.

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