Paris Hilton bravely exposes horrific childhood abuse as she speaks on Captiol Hill

Paris Hilton has claimed that she was ‘force-fed medications’ and ‘sexually abused’ by staff at a youth residential treatment facility as a teenager – while testifying before a US House of Representatives committee hearing today.

The 43-year-old has been vocal about the abuse she endured after being sent to multiple facilities during her childhood.

Appearing at Capitol Hill, the Simple Life star spoke in support of huge reforms to the system, calling for the standards of those living in foster care to be improved.

‘I know from personal experience the harm that is caused by being placed in youth residential treatment facilities,’ she said before the Ways and Means Committee in Washington.

‘When I was 16 years old, I was ripped from my bed in the middle of night and transported across state lines to the first of four residential facilities.

‘These programs promised healing, growth and support, but instead did not allow me to speak, move freely or even look out of a window for two years.

Paris Hilton testified at a Capitol Hill committee hearing today (Picture: Getty)

She opened up on her harrowing experience at youth residential treatment facilities (Picture: Getty)

‘I was force-fed medications and sexually abused by the staff. I was violently restrained and dragged down hallways, stripped naked, thrown in solitary confinement.’

‘My parents were completely deceived, lied to and manipulated by this for-profit industry about the inhumane treatment I was experiencing,’ Paris continued.

‘Can you only imagine the experience for youth who are placed by the state, and don’t have people regularly checking in on them?

‘This $23billion-a-year industry sees this population as dollar signs and operates without meaningful oversight.’

She said that she was ‘force-fed medications’ by staff members (Picture: Getty)

After reading case studies, the Stars Are Blind singer declared: ‘I’m here to be the voice for children whose voices can’t be heard.’

Paris’ parents, Rick and Kathy Hilton, sent her to Provo Canyon School, a youth treatment facility in Utah, at the age of 17.

In the last few years, she has bravely opened up about the abuse she experienced at the hands of some staff members, sharing that she still suffers PTSD.

Speaking in her 2020 documentary, This Is Paris, she also claimed that she was left with insomnia, anxiety and trust issues following her time at the institution. 

Since the special aired, she has held a rally for survivors of alleged abuse, and has launched a website where others can submit their testimonies.

Paris called for changes to be made to foster care and treatment facilities (Picture: AFP)

In February, 2021, the mom-of-two appeared before the Utah State Judiciary, Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Committee to lobby for a bill to regulate Utah’s schools for troubled teenagers.

While there, she discussed her experience, alleging that children were ‘restrained, hit, thrown into walls, strangled and sexually abused regularly at Provo’.

‘My name is Paris Hilton, I am an institutional abuse survivor and I speak today on behalf of the hundreds of thousands of children currently in residential care facilities across the United States,’ she said.

‘For the past 20 years, I have had a recurring nightmare where I’m kidnapped in the middle of the night by two strangers, strip-searched, and locked in a facility. I wish I could tell you that this haunting nightmare was just a dream, but it is not.

Paris first spoke about her teenage years in her 2020 documentary (Picture: Getty)

‘I was verbally, mentally and physically abused on a daily basis. I was cut off from the outside world and stripped of all my human rights.

‘Without a diagnosis, I was forced to consume medication that made me feel numb and exhausted. I didn’t breathe fresh air or see the sunlight for 11 months. 

‘There was zero privacy. Every time I would use the bathroom or take a shower, it was monitored. At 16 years old – as a child – I felt their piercing eyes staring at my naked body. I was just a kid and felt violated every single day.’

Provo Canyon School, which opened in 1971, was sold by its previous ownership in 2000, with its new owners saying they cannot comment on ‘operations or patient experience’ prior to this time.

She has been advocating for changes ever since (Picture: Getty)

In a statement, they said that staff do not use solitary confinement as a ‘form of intervention’ or prescribe ‘any drug or medication as a means of discipline’.

The statement read: ‘We do not condone or promote any form of abuse. Any and all alleged/suspected abuse is reported immediately to our state regulatory authorities, law enforcement and Child Protective Services, as required. 

‘We are committed to providing high-quality care to youth with special, and often complex, emotional, behavioral and psychiatric needs.’

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