Paris Hilton Visits Capitol Hill, Urges Lawmakers to Reform 'Troubled Teen Industry' After Own Experiences of Abuse

Paris Hilton was seen in Senate hallways at Capitol Hill on Wednesday. The celebrity met with lawmakers to advocate for protections for "troubled teens" in congregate care facilities.

During a press conference outside Capitol Hill, Hilton said she came not as Paris but as a survivor, Deadline reported. Hilton appeared at the press conference with lawmakers, including Rep. Ro Khanna and Sen. Jeff Merkley, who are pushing for legislation to reform congregate care facilities.

Congregate care facilities include foster care, group homes, residential treatment facilities, emergency shelters, and maternity homes.

Khanna and Merkley are among the lawmakers planning to introduce the Accountability for Congregate Care Act that would create a bill of rights with protections for children in such facilities.

Paris Hilton Recounting Abusive Experiences

Paris Hilton spoke about the verbal, emotional, and physical abuse she endured during her stay at Provo Canyon School, a Utah boarding school for troubled teens.

According to USA Today, the socialite has published a deeply personal essay on Washington Post and is currently urging federal-level reform.

Hilton said that her parents fell for the misleading "marketing of the troubled teen industry." She said she remembered that she was awakened one night by two men with handcuffs, asking her if she wanted to go the "easy way or the hard way" before carrying her out from her home as she screamed for help.

Hilton noted that she had no idea where or why she was being taken against her will. She said she soon learned that she was being sent to "hell" or a residential care facility, which she called "the troubled teen industry."

The socialite was sent to Provo at 17 years old and stayed for 11 months. She said that she endured psychological and physical abuse from staff members during her stay at the facility, including being slapped, choked, and sleep-deprived.

Hilton wrote that she was called vulgar names and forced to take medication without a diagnosis, adding that she was locked in solitary confinement in a room where the walls were covered in scratch marks and bloodstains.

However, her parents were unaware of what was happening as they were prohibited from communicating with the outside world. In September 2020, the "This is Paris" documentary premiered on her YouTube channel, wherein she said she had never publicly discussed the matter with anyone.

Paris Hilton Urges Joe Biden, Lawmakers to Take Action Against the 'Troubled Teen Industry'

Paris Hilton called on President Joe Biden and lawmakers to enact a bill of rights for young people in such facilities, Rolling Stone reported. She added that the government should also provide federal funding so that states can hold those facilities accountable.

Hilton said it is a basic human rights issue that needs to have immediate action, adding that those in power have the responsibility to protect the powerless.

After the "This is Paris" documentary was released, other well-known figures have also come forward about their experiences at the school or others like the facility. The figures include Michael Jackson's daughter Paris Jackson and tattoo artist Kat Von D.

The Provo institution is now under new ownership, and the new administration said it couldn't comment on anything that came before the change.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Mary Weber

WATCH: Paris Hilton Urges Passage Of 'Rights And Protections' For Youth In Congregate Care - From NBC News