Paris Hilton Opens Up About Her ‘Terrible’ Abuse in Controversial Utah Boarding School
Celebrity socialite Paris Hilton is talking about the alleged abuse that she endured while she was at a Utah boarding school. She testified in a Utah court on Monday against Provo Canyon School.
The boarding school staff members were accused of inflicting emotional, physical, and psychological abuse during her stay as a teenager. Hilton is now 39 years old.
Hilton said in her testimony that she is an institutional abuse survivor and she speaks on behalf of the hundreds of thousands of children that are currently in residential care facilities across the United States, according to a People report.
"For the past 20 years, I have had a recurring nightmare where I'm kidnapped in the middle of the night by two strangers, strip-searched, and locked in a facility. I wish I could tell you that this haunting nightmare was just a dream, âbut it is notâ," Hilton was quoted in her testimony to the Utah Senate Judiciary, Law Enforcement, and Criminal Justice Committee.
Hilton then said that she was verbally, mentally, and physically abused on a daily basis. She added that she was cut off from the outside world and stripped of all her human rights.
"Without a diagnosis, I was forced to consume medication that made me feel numb and exhausted. I didn't breathe fresh air or see the sunlight for 11 months. There was zero privacy. Every time I would use the bathroom or take a shower, it was monitored," Hilton was quoted on a Crime Online report.
She added that she could feel piercing eyes looking at her naked body at 16 years old and that she felt violated every single day.
The socialite told Utah lawmakers that she spent time at three Utah schools during her childhood, including the Provo Canyon School.
Hilton said that talking about something personal was terrifying. However, she added that she cannot go to sleep at night knowing that there are children that are experiencing the same abuse that she and so many other had experienced, according to a USA Today report.
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Provo Institution Abuse Claims
The said institution is now under new ownership and the administration has said that it cannot comment on anything that came before the changes, which includes Hilton's time spent in the institution. Other celebrities have also come forward with their experiences ever since the documentary was released.
The list includes Michael Jackson's daughter, Paris Jackson, and tattoo artist Kat Von D. Hilton then called on U.S. President Joe Biden's leaders in Congress to take action and said she intends to push federal legislation regarding the matter.
Hilton said that the bill is going to help a lot of children but there is more work to do and she is not going to stop until change happens.
Additional reports showed that Provo Canyon School has been in the spotlight for an array of abuse, which includes physical abuse, drugging children, sexual abuse, and mistreatment. As of now, the school remains open and reportedly supports the Utah bill.
The associate administrator at the school, Tim Marshall, said that the school has eliminated the use of seclusion or isolation a long time ago and has also stopped drugging and using restraints as a form of discipline.
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