Hiltontestifiedagainst Provo Canyon School — the boarding school whose staff members she has accused of inflicting emotional, physical and psychological abuse on her during her stay as a teenager — in Utah court in February.
“Ever since my documentaryThis Is Pariscame out last year and I told my story for the first time, I’ve received thousands of letters from survivors sharing their stories with me,” Hilton tells PEOPLE.
Paris Hilton attends the ceremonial signing of Utah bill.Kevin Ostajewski
“Reading them broke my heart and I made a promise to myself, the children still at these treatment centers, and all survivors that I would continue to use my voice and fight until laws were changed across the country.”
“I’m grateful that the State Legislature of Utah has recognized the injustice and mistreatment happening at these facilities, and I’m so glad that this bill being signed into law will ensure more regulation of these centers and protection for children,” she says. “We will continue pushing this issue to the federal level so that laws protecting teens and children are made in all 50 states.”
Paris Hilton.Kevin Ostajewski
In addition to requiring more government oversight to youth residential centers, the new bill prohibits such centers from using sedation or mechanical restraints without authorization, theAssociated Press reportedTuesday.
Hilton previously made allegations against the school in theYouTube Originals documentaryThis Is Paristhat premiered in September. The school is now under different ownership.
Paris Hilton, Carter Reum.
Since then, Hilton has beenadvocating againstinstitutions whose staff members allegedly abuse minors.
“I buried my truth for so long,” Hilton toldPEOPLEexclusively in August 2020 of why she came forward 20 years after her stay at the institution. “But I’m proud of the strong woman I’ve become. People might assume everything in my life came easy to me, but I want to show the world who I truly am.”
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“From the moment I woke up until I went to bed, it was all day screaming in my face, yelling at me, continuous torture,” Hilton alleged of her time at the school. “The staff would say terrible things. They were constantly making me feel bad about myself and bully me. I think it was their goal to break us down. And they were physically abusive, hitting and strangling us. They wanted to instill fear in the kids so we’d be too scared to disobey them.”
In her February testimony, she said she “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.”
Paris Hilton testifying in Utah court in February.Kevin Ostajewski
In asecond and more lengthy statementissued on Sept. 17, after the release of the documentary, the school said staff does not use “‘solitary confinement’ as a form of intervention” or prescribe “any drug or medication as a means of discipline.”
“We do not condone or promote any form of abuse,” the statement continued. “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.”
If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
source: people.com
