Paris Hilton was "force-fed and abused"
2020, Paris Hilton raises serious accusations against her former boarding school for the first time. Now, the heiress intends to directly address reforms in the foster care system. She reportedly testified before the US Congress about the harrowing experiences she had there.
Paris Hilton continues her advocacy against child abuse. On a Wednesday, the heiress testified before a committee of the US House of Representatives in Washington D.C., reporting on the devastating experiences she allegedly had in her youth at a boarding school. The hearing focused on the well-being of children in the US foster care system and other juvenile facilities.
"When I was 16 years old, I was torn from my bed in the middle of the night and taken across state lines to the first of four residential facilities," Hilton, now 43, told the House Ways and Means Committee.
Parents were "completely manipulated"
"For two years, I was force-fed medication and sexually abused by the staff. I was violently restrained, stripped naked, and placed in solitary confinement," she continued. Furthermore, she stated that her parents had been "completely manipulated" by the institutions and had been unaware of her treatment.
Hilton called for comprehensive reforms of the system and demanded improvements in standards for youth in the foster care system. "I know from personal experience the damage that institutionalization for youth can cause," she said. "These programs promise healing, growth, and support, but instead, I was denied the ability to speak, move freely, or look out the window for two years." She wanted to be a voice for children whose voices were not heard, according to Hilton, who testified in a glamorous baby blue satin costume with a white collar.
Paris Hilton has previously spoken openly about her experiences. She first raised accusations against the Provo Canyon School in Utah in September 2020 in her YouTube docuseries "This Is Paris." In February 2021, she testified in court against the institution. In a video for the "New York Times" in October 2022, she again made serious accusations, accusing staff members of the school of sexual abuse.
- Paris Hilton's harrowing accounts of sexualized violence, which she experienced during her time at a boarding school, have led her to speak out against such abuses in the entertainment industry as well as in institutions.
- Beyond her allegations of violence, Paris Hilton has expressed concern about the systemic issues in the foster care system, particularly the lack of oversight and the potential manipulation of parents by institutions, as observed in her own case.
