Elizabeth Smart

And so we need to, I mean, we absolutely need to do a better job on how we respond when someone discloses abuse to us, when someone shares abuse.

literally the worst moments of their life, because how you respond can dictate the future of whether or not they go out and get the help that they need and pursue justice, or whether they bottle it back up inside them and have it destroy them from the inside out.

And that's a pretty big influence.

It is.

So what are some of the ways as... So again, hoping that the people hearing this, this hasn't happened, but knowing that even if it hasn't happened to them, it's probably happened to someone they know.

What are the things that you recommend?

What can other people do to support survivors?

First of all, if a survivor discloses something to you, just...

listen to them.

I know it's natural to have curiosity.

And when I first got back, I mean, people always used to ask me questions.

Well, why didn't you run?

Why didn't you scream?

Why didn't you escape?

Why didn't you do something?

And for years and years and years, I didn't understand why I would immediately feel so defensive when I'd hear the words, why didn't you?

But

As I got a little older, I started to realize it's not because I was hearing their question, but because my brain was hearing it as, you should have run.

You should have screamed.

You should have done more.