Paris Hilton Shares Story of Alleged Abuse While Testifying Before Congress
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“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 said during a House Ways and Means committee hearing on Wednesday. “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 went on to describe years of alleged abuse during her stay at a residential youth treatment camp, what are sometimes referred to as part of the “troubled teen” industry. During her public testimony, Hilton urged lawmakers to regulate such institutions with federal oversight, and institute laws to protect vulnerable youth.
At the time, Hilton was struggling with ADHD, which then was not as widely discussed as it is now. Her parents were advised that she be sent to a treatment facility for youth, the Provo Canyon School, where, Hilton said, they were “completely deceived, lied to and manipulated by this for-profit industry.”
"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 said. "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."
Hilton also shared in her testimony that private equity firms have increasingly taken a greater stake in the industry in recent years focusing on maximizing profits, and subsequently, she said, hiring unqualified workers.
"This $23 billion industry sees this population [of vulnerable youth] as dollar signs and operates without meaningful oversight," she said.
A new report released in June from the Department of Health and Human Services found that many states across the country do not adequately keep track of how children in these facilities are being treated, nor record instances of abuse. Hilton urged lawmakers to pass the Stop Institutional Child Abuse Act, which would see federal oversight for the youth residential treatment industry, which would allow for more transparent reporting on abuse cases, provide national standards for care, and see foundational care for diverse needs of children and adolescents.
Hilton first shared her experience at the Utah facility in the 2020 documentary “This is Paris” and has been a vocal advocate for greater oversight of the system since, writing opinion columns in publications like the Washington Post.
Originally Appeared on Teen Vogue
