Paris Hilton, the famous businesswoman, singer and socialite, has testified before a US Congressional committee about the sexual abuse and “inhumane treatment” she suffered as a teenager at a boarding school. Hilton has called for a revamping of child welfare programmes to prevent other young people from having similar experiences.
Hilton revealed that she was a victim of sexual abuse and mistreatment at the first of the four behavior correction residences in which she was placed, the Provo Canyon school. For two years, she was forced to take medication and subjected to sexual abuse by her staff. Additionally, she was violently restrained, stripped naked, and locked in solitary confinement.
Businesswoman Paris Hilton Shares Her Painful Boarding School Experience, Calls for Reforms in Child Welfare Programs
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The businesswoman pointed out that her parents, Rick Hilton, co-founder of Hilton & Hyland, and Kathy Hilton, star of ‘Real Housewives of Beverly Hills’, were completely deceived and manipulated by the for-profit industry that operated these institutions. Hilton questioned the lack of government oversight and asked what the experience would be like for youth who are placed by the state without regular supervision.
At Provo Canyon School
The case of the young woman murdered in the dining room
Hilton also shared the case of a 16-year-old girl living in a public shelter who was murdered for having “innocently thrown a sandwich in the cafeteria”: “She was killed on the floor of the dining room in front of dozens of children. The State could have prevented this.”
According to Hilton, the lack of oversight and inhumane conditions can have tragic consequences. She also noted that the daily cost of placing a youth in a foster care facility is significantly higher than caring for them in their own communities: “It costs approximately $800 to $1,000 a day to place a youth in a foster care facility, that’s significantly more than it would cost to care for them in their own communities. What’s more important, protecting corporate profits or protecting the lives of young people?”
As a mother of two young children, Hilton expressed support for the Ways and Means Committee’s bipartisan effort to reauthorize Title IV-B of the Social Security Act on child welfare. Her testimony seeks to raise awareness about the importance of protecting young people and guaranteeing decent conditions in these centers.
