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When the man who abducted her was convicted of kidnapping, Elizabeth Smart said she hoped her experience would show "it is possible to move on after something terrible has happened, and that we can speak out and we will be heard."
The 23-year-old Utahn has found a platform for that message — she's signed on with ABC News. "She'll be a contributor for all ABC News programs and platforms," said network spokeswoman Julie Townsend.
Smart will contribute to everything from "Good Morning America" to "ABC World News Tonight" to "Nightline" to the ABCNews.com website. "She will help our viewers better understand missing-persons stories from the perspective of someone who really knows what the family experiences when a loved one goes missing," Townsend said.
"I am committed to giving back and getting involved where I can make the greatest difference through child advocacy work," Smart said in a prepared statement. "Partnering with ABC provides a powerful tool to help me accomplish this. I look forward to working to create awareness for and helping bring other missing children home as well as helping to prevent others from experiencing what I went through."
Added her father, Ed Smart: "There was so much media attention on Elizabeth, and that was certainly what helped to bring her home. There's great value in being able to get out there and to speak as a victim advocate."
The job doesn't mean that Smart will be asked to rehash the details of her own kidnapping. "She is very focused on looking ahead," Townsend said. "This won't be about her case, it will be about other missing-persons cases."
In 2002, 14-year-old Elizabeth Smart was abducted by knifepoint from her family's home in Salt Lake City, repeatedly raped and held captive by Salt Lake City street preacher Brian David Mitchell. She was found nine months later.
After years of delays, Mitchell, 56, was convicted in December on federal charges of kidnapping and unlawful transportation of a minor across state lines for sex. In May, he received a life sentence without parole.
ABC and Smart have been in talks for "months," according to Townsend.
Smart chose ABC over other media outlets. "She talked with the other networks, and she just felt like this was the best fit," Ed Smart said.
Elizabeth Smart was unavailable for comment, pending her first appearance as a contributor on ABC. "She could be on the air in the next couple of weeks," Townsend said.