When Elizabeth Smart was 14 years old, she was abducted from her home in Utah. For nine months, she endured rape, starvation, and torture.
Fortunately, Smart was rescued. But her rescue wasn't the end of Smart's story. She still had to find a new normal after surviving such heinous abuse.
► Also: Elizabeth Smart—My Captivity Was the Hardest but Most Spiritual Time of My Life
Now, 16 years after her abduction, Smart is helping abduction survivors "triumph over their pasts and reclaim their lives" with her new Lifetime TV show.
View this post on Instagram I am so excited for this weekend! Make sure you tune to the Lifetime Channel this Saturday evening at 8pm. For the past few months I have been working with the lifetime channel to create “Smart Justice” a show all about what it takes to go from being a victim to a survivor. Each one of these women is a fellow abduction survivor and has gone on to triumph over their pasts and reclaim their lives. We discuss Jayme Closs and what some of the struggles are that she will face ahead. We review the investigation (not what happened to Jayme while in captivity, that is her story to share if she ever chooses to.) We each share our personal piece of advice for Jayme. My hope is that any survivor could watch this and walk away feeling that 1. They are not alone. 2. No matter what they have been through they can over come what has happened. And 3. Life is beautiful and meant to be lived, and just because something bad has happened it doesn’t mean that what happened has to define you. A post shared by Elizabeth Smart (@elizabeth_smart_official) on Apr 23, 2019 at 7:51am PDT
"For the past few months I have been working with the lifetime channel to create Smart Justice, a show all about what it takes to go from being a victim to a survivor," Smart posted on Instagram.
According to mylifetime.com, Smart Justice will feature a roundtable of abduction and assault survivors, including Gina DeJesus, Katie Beers, Kara Robinson, Alicia Kozakiewicz, Denise Huskins, and Sarah Maynard.
Hosted by Smart, Smart Justice will begin by focusing on the incredible survival story of Jayme Closs. Closs was 13 years old when she was abducted in October 2018 from her home in Wisconsin. After watching her abductor murder her parents, she was held captive for 88 days before she escaped.
According to the Instagram post, Smart, DeJesus, Beers, Robinson, Kozakiewicz, Huskins, and Maynard will "review the investigation (not what happened to Jayme while in captivity, that is her story to share if she ever chooses to.) We each share our personal piece of advice for Jayme."
By hosting this new show aimed at helping abduction survivors, Smart says:
"My hope is that any survivor could watch this and walk away feeling that 1. They are not alone. 2. No matter what they have been through they can overcome what has happened. And 3. Life is beautiful and meant to be lived, and just because something bad has happened it doesn’t mean that what happened has to define you."
Smart Justice will air Saturday at 8 p.m. on the Lifetime channel.
