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Paris Hilton says she was abused as teen at Utah school

Paris Hilton says she was abused as teen at Utah school

She testified before a state Senate committee as part of a lobbying effort for stronger regulations over youth treatment centres.
09 Feb, 2021

American socialite Paris Hilton testified about abuse she says she suffered years ago at a boarding school in Utah, as she lobbied Monday for a bill seeking to regulate the state’s troubled teen industry.

Hilton was sent to Provo Canyon School for 11 months at age 17 where she says she was abused mentally and physically, recalling that staff members would beat her, force her to take unknown pills, watch her shower and send her to solitary confinement without clothes as punishment. The socialite and reality TV star also spoke about the abuse in a documentary titled “This is Paris” that was released this fall.

Hilton testified at a state Senate committee hearing at the Utah Capitol in favor of the bill that would require more government oversight of youth residential treatment centers and require them to document when they use restraints. The measure passed unanimously following emotional testimony from Hilton and several other survivors.

“Talking about something so personal was and is still terrifying,” Hilton told the committee. “But I can not go to sleep at night knowing that there are children that are experiencing the same abuse that I and so many others went through, and neither should you.”

The 39-year-old Hilton said the treatment was so “traumatizing” that she has suffered nightmares and insomnia for years.

The Provo institution is now under new ownership and the administration has said it can’t comment on anything that came before the change, including Hilton’s time there. A statement on the school website says the previous owners sold the school in 2000.

Since the documentary was released, other celebrities have spoken out about their experiences at the school or others like it, including Michael Jackson’s daughter Paris Jackson and tattoo artist Kat Von D.

During her testimony, Hilton called on President Joe Biden and leaders in Congress to take action and said she intends to pursue federal legislation.

“This is just the first step,” Hilton told reporters. “This bill is going to definitely help a lot of children but there’s obviously more work to do, and I’m not going to stop until change happens.”

Comments

shoaib Feb 09, 2021 11:45am
Great step.
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M. Saeed Feb 09, 2021 02:43pm
The US needs regeneration of real humanity.
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Dr. Salaria, Aamir Ahmad Feb 09, 2021 02:57pm
What a grave, grim, gross, gruesome and great tragedy?
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Paddy Feb 09, 2021 03:02pm
She still is great.
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Ravi Feb 09, 2021 04:26pm
Always finding faults in others, while she abused her power, money for gains for years. Now playing victim card, what she has done for so far, despite being adult for so long???
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Zak Feb 09, 2021 09:15pm
@Ravi change your RSS mindset.
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RationalBabu Feb 10, 2021 12:59am
@M. Saeed and so do most countries including Pakistan!
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LgbtqX Feb 10, 2021 08:11am
Looks like wants sympathy.
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