Elizabeth Smart says that one uplifting thought kept her hope alive when she was kidnapped and held captive at 14 years old by Brian David Mitchell and his wife, Wanda Barzee.

“Knowing that my parents loved me even though I’d been kidnapped, raped, chained up — that was that ultimate light that I held on to,” the child safety activist, now 37, exclusively tells In Touch in an interview as part of April’s Sexual Assault Awareness Month.

Elizabeth says she makes sure that her own kids, Chloe, 10, James, 8, and Olivia, 6, know that she loves them unconditionally, as well.

“Make sure your child knows that your love doesn’t have strings,” she adds. “I think that’s probably the greatest gift any parent can give.”

On June 5, 2002, Elizabeth was abducted by Mitchell, 71, at knifepoint from her bedroom in her family’s home in Salt Lake City, Utah. Mitchell and Barzee, 79, held the teen captive for nine months on the outskirts of Salt Lake City and in San Diego County, California. Mitchell repeatedly raped Elizabeth during her captivity at a camp in the woods and threatened to kill her if she tried to escape.

Elizabeth was later rescued by police on March 12, 2003, on a public street in Sandy, Utah, after two witnesses recognized Mitchell and Barzee from an America’s Most Wanted episode.

In November 2009, Barzee pleaded guilty to assisting in Elizabeth’s kidnapping as part of a plea deal with prosecutors. She was sentenced to serve 15 years in federal prison and was given credit for seven years that she had already served. Barzee was released in 2018.

Meanwhile, Mitchell was found guilty of kidnapping and sexual assault and sentenced to two life terms in federal prison in May 2011.

Naturally, Elizabeth’s children are curious about the experience that inspired her life’s work and ensured her name would forever top the heartbreaking list of women who have suffered at the hands of unspeakable evil. One day, they’ll hear that part of her story, but it won’t be her whole story.

At the end of her life, Elizabeth says, “I hope I’m remembered for being a good person and showing up for my kids.”

“Maybe,” she adds hopefully, “my kidnapping isn’t even mentioned at my funeral.”

After what she went through, Elizabeth became a strong advocate for self-defense, even starting a program for women and girls called Smart Defense. The program teaches women techniques from Krav Maga, Brazilian jiu-jitsu and Muay Thai, as well as situational awareness and mental coping skills. Meanwhile, Smart Defense shows men how to safely intervene and become allies to women. Even if someone is victimized, “it is never their fault,” Elizabeth says.

“Think about the safety education you’ve learned in your life. Everyone knows to look both ways before crossing the street, and if you catch on fire, stop, drop and roll,” she points out. “But did anyone ever talk to you about what you should do if someone tries to rape you? Or about the difference between enthusiastic, consensual sex versus rape and violence? There is a very big education gap.”

If you or anyone you know has been sexually abused, call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673). A trained staff member will provide confidential, judgment-free support as well as local resources to assist in healing, recovering and more.