Elizabeth Smart praises Penn State for conference
Oct 30, 2012, 9:51 PM
Associated Press
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) – Former kidnapping and sexual-abuse victim Elizabeth Smart has praised Penn State for a conference on child sexual abuse and its prevention after the Jerry Sandusky molestation scandal.
Smart says the conference is an “incredible opportunity” to change how the university community and the rest of the country look at abuse victims. She was the keynote speaker Tuesday on the final day of the inaugural three-day conference.
Smart was kidnapped in Utah in 2002 at age 14 and was held captive for months. She says the best advice she received in her recovery is to lead a normal life as a way to punish her captor.
She’s an outspoken advocate for protecting children from abuse through prevention and education.
Sandusky was convicted of abusing 10 boys, some on Penn State’s campus. He maintains his innocence.
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