Taking the stand during a House committee session on Wednesday, Paris Hilton, a famous social figure and businesswoman, shared her personal stories regarding her time in the foster care system. Her emotional yet powerful testimony aimed to convince Congress to improve the lives of children in foster care. Hilton described the abuse she allegedly suffered at a Utah boarding school for troubled teens, including sexual assault, physical restraint, and forced medication.
Paris Hilton recalls child abuse during Congress testimony
“When I was 16 years old, I was ripped from my bed in the middle of the night and transported across state lines to the first of four youth residential treatment facilities. “Paris Hilton, the household name famous for her candour, stripped away her usual glitz and glamour for a raw and emotional testimony on Capitol Hill.
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“These programs promised healing, growth and support but instead did not allow me to speak, move freely or even look out a window for two years,” Hilton, never one to back down from a challenge, courageously shared a troubling period from her youth at Provo Canyon School. Her voice trembled as she detailed the alleged abuse she suffered – “physical restraint, forced medication, and even sexual assault,” at the hands of the very staff entrusted with her well-being.
Paris Hilton opens up about being sexually abused at Utah school
“I was force-fed medications and sexually abused by the staff. I was violently restrained and dragged down hallways, stripped naked and thrown into solitary confinement,” the star continued delivering a stark warning of the grim truth experienced by many children in the U.S. foster care system, calling on Congress to intervene.
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The Hilton heiress, however, didn’t blame her parents, Rick Hilton and Kathy Hilton, for sending her to the ‘troubled teen’ school, recounting that they were “deceived” and “manipulated.” In the past few years, the 43-year-old socialite has frequently advocated and testified rigorously in state legislatures and on Capitol Hill in support of a law meant to protect children from this ‘inhumane money-making industry.’
Paris Hilton’s voice for reform isn’t new. In 2020, her documentary “This Is Paris” on YouTube exposed the alleged abuses she endured at Provo Canyon School. This wasn’t merely a tale of her own experiences; she went on to lead protests calling for the school to shut down. Now, a mother of two young children (son Phoenix and daughter London), Hilton continues her advocacy, urging Congress to address the needs of often-overlooked foster and adopted youth.
According to PageSix, several other former students of the school also supported Hilton’s claims, describing the treatment these children endure as “criminal.” Hilton continued, “It has caused me severe post-traumatic stress disorder and trauma that will affect me for the rest of my life.”
