Girl abducted at 14 and raped for months reveals three important things all parents should tell their children

At only 14 years, Elizabeth Smart was snatched from the bedroom she shared with her nine-year-old sister Mary Katherine in Salt Lake City, Utah. The abductor took her to his home and with the knowledge of his wife, raped the girl for 9 months until she was rescued.

Now 30, Elizabeth has shared the three important things every parent across the world should tell their children. She was speaking based on her experience as a child in the hands of a depraved abuser. On June 5 2002, Elizabeth was kidnapped from her home and taken to a camp in the woods by Brian David Mitchell who went by the name Emmanuel and described himself as a prophet. His wife Wanda Barzee was also an accomplice to the crime.

For months, the young teenager was raped and drugged while her captors forced her to drink alcohol and watch pornography. Elizabeth was routinely tied to a tree and left without any food between extended periods of horrific abuse. During that period, Mitchell and Wanda Barzee attempted to indoctrinate Elizabeth with their religious beliefs.

She was eventually rescued after someone recognized Mitchell walking down the street with a young girl wearing a wig and sunglasses. The passerby who saw them reported him to police and Elizabeth was found less than 24 hours later.

Yesterday, Elizabeth participated in a Reddit forum titled Ask Me Anything.

And one of the top rated questions read: "In your opinion as a children's advocate, what are some practical, commonsense steps parents can take to help their children avoid abuse? (And I guess I mean abuse in a general way, anything from extreme bullying to abduction.)"

Elizabeth replied with three clear points.
Make sure your child knows that they are loved unconditionally, and make sure your child knows what unconditionally means.
Make sure that your child understands that no one has the right to hurt them or scare them in any way. It doesn’t matter what that person may be: family, friend, religious leader, community leader, it doesn’t matter

Should anyone hurt your child or threaten them in anyway, they need to tell you.

She later added: "Practice screaming, encourage your kids to fight back, there is a place and a time when it’s not only acceptable it’s encouraged."

Elizabeth has since become a campaigner against pornography and abuse. Mitchell is currently serving a life sentence for the crime and his wife Wanda Barzee was sentenced for 15 years for aggravated kidnapping.