Far from the reality TV bimbo image that once stuck to her skin, Paris Hilton is a woman of commitment and speech. Her fight, for several years now: to put an end to the business of “care centers” or “closed educational centers” that still too often wink at the parents of “problem” teenagers in the United States. A battle that she fought in front of the American Congress – and the cameras of CNN – on Wednesday, June 26.
In front of members of Congress, Paris Hilton spoke about her personal story. During her teenage years, the young heiress had an unfortunate preference for nightclubs rather than school and her repeated outings frightened her parents, Rick and Kathy Hilton. So much so that when the young blonde turned 16, the couple wanted to send her to a “care center” in Utah, the Provo Canyon School.
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A major bill
But they “had no idea what the facility was really like,” Paris Hilton told the committee. “They were continually lied to and manipulated by the staff […] They just thought it was going to be a normal boarding school, but when I got there, there was no therapy. We were constantly being torn down, abused and called names.”
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The young woman also spoke of the “punishments” she suffered, the days spent in solitary confinement, the sexual assaults… “The inhuman treatment I suffered will affect me for the rest of my life,” lamented the woman who has already described her experience in a book, a documentary and various interviews.
Paris Hilton especially urged American legislators to pass a bill entitled “Stop Institutional Child Abuse Act”. Supported by Republican Senator Shannon Grove and Democratic Senators Aisha Wahab and Angelique Ashby, this text aims to ensure that centers for troubled adolescents are managed directly by the federal government (and no longer fall under the private sector) and that establishment of real transparency on the disciplinary measures adopted. A bill that Paris Hilton had already supported before a California state senatorial committee in April.
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“Becoming a voice” for all victims
Daily harassment, torture, shower under surveillance, strangulation… In her documentary “This is Paris”, released in September 2020, Paris Hilton lifted the taboo on the hell she suffered during her youth.
And in telling her story, the heiress committed to “becoming a voice for children and those who have become adults who have had similar experiences” and “closing” these establishments which promise parents to “re-educate” their children. A promise that she strives to keep intervention after intervention.
Since first speaking out, Paris Hilton has helped pass a bill to impose stricter oversight of youth centers in the state of Utah. The young woman also traveled to Washington DC to advocate for federal reforms and helped change laws aimed at protecting minors in at least eight states.
