Paris Hilton is using her voice regarding the abuse she alleged that she endured at a boarding school in Utah.
The 39-year-old faced a Utah court on Monday to testify against Provo Canyon School, the boarding school whose staff members she has alleged of inflicting physical, emotional, and psychological abuse on her during her stay as an adolescent.
Paris Hilton 'Abused' as a Teenager
Hilton testified on February 8 to the Utah Senate Judiciary, Law Enforcement, and Criminal Justice Committee, "I am an institutional abuse survivor and I speak today on behalf of the hundreds of thousands of children currently in residential care facilities across the United States. 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." She added that she wishes this haunting nightmare was merely a dream, but it is reality, reported Us Weekly.
The businesswoman recounted being woken up in the middle of the night at the age of 16 by two transporters who reportedly had handcuffs.
Hilton made an unprecedented appearance at the Utah State Legislature to testify in support of a bill that oversees so-called "troubled teenager" schools.
The heiress is speaking in favor of Senate Bill 127, which would impose the treatment centers that deal with youth battling addiction, behavioral, and other issues under more government oversight. This includes regular reports to the state on how they maximize restraints.
"The Simple Life" alumni was sent to Provo Canyon School for 11 months at 17 years old. She recounted that staff members would force her to take unknown pills, beat her, watch her shower, and send her to solitary confinement naked as punishment. The socialite also expounded regarding the abuse in a documentary named "This is Paris" that was released this autumn.
Hilton stated she has had a recurring nightmare for the past 20 years, reported News Break.
She still gets flashbacks to the 11 months of her stay at the boarding school where she was sent to reform her party girl ways.
Hilton testified that from the moment she wakes up until she went to bed, they would scream at her face, with the staff saying terrible things. They were repeatedly making her feel bad about herself and bully her. She added that she thinks their goal was to break them down. They were also physically abusive, hitting and strangling them, and instilled fear in the kids so they would be more compliant, reported Aol.
The medication forced on her made her feel "numb and exhausted." Taking a shower was reportedly monitored. All communication with the outside world, with her family included, was supervised and censored.
They asked her if she would like to go the "easy way" or "hard way."
She believes the alleged abuse went on for years after she left, indicating changes merely started to be made after she publicly spoke out in her documentary previously this 2021.
