Paris Hilton has revealed she is working with the British government to advocate for change on legislation to protect vulnerable children after she was abused at a ‘troubled teen’ bootcamp.
Opening up in an honest first person piece, the celebrity claimed she was marked as a ‘problem to fix’ in her youth and one day bundled onto a plane in handcuffs by transporters against her will and taken to institutions in California, Idaho, Montana, and Utah.
For the next two years she says she was physically, emotionally and sexually abused.
‘I was struck across the face by staff, forced to take medication without diagnosis, deprived of sleep, spied on in the shower, put in solitary confinement and shouted at constantly,’ she claimed.
For two decades, she stayed silent about her childhood horrors – but after having two children of her own is now speaking out to fight for change.
She said her goal is to ensure no child is abused under the guise of ‘treatment’ and aims to pass the federal, bipartisan Stop Institutional Child Abuse Act in the US this year.
But she says her work also extends to the UK, where she says she is advocating for change within England’s legislative framework to ensure children are protected from these harmful practices.
Writing in the Telegraph, she said she is in discussions alongside stakeholders with the Department for Education about potential changes to the ‘Use of Reasonable Force’ guidance.
Recalling how her abuse began, the American model, actress and businesswoman recalled: ‘At 16 years old, in the middle of the night, two men forcibly entered my bedroom and asked if I ‘wanted to go the easy way or the hard way.’ I thought in that split second that I was taking my last breaths. I thought I was going to die.
‘I screamed for help, but as they dragged me away, I saw my mother and father standing by the front door, sobbing: They had arranged the whole ordeal under the promise that ‘tough love’ would set me on a better path.’
But she said her parents were not aware of the practices she could be subjected to.
The mother-of-two claimed that at the Provo Canyon School in Utah, she was violated by staff ‘performing ‘medical examinations’ on her.
In 2021 she posted images of her 18-year-old self with the caption: ‘These photos were taken when I was 18 and had recently came home from the horrible experiences I went through at #ProvoCanyonSchool. I can see the pain in my eyes.
‘I was so traumatized that I pretended everything was okay, trying to block out the painful memories.
‘Looking at this now, I know that the teen me would be so incredibly proud of the woman I am today. Being brave and using my voice to make a difference and save children from having to endure the abuse myself and so many others have had to go through.’
She also previously spoke about the school in a 2020 documentary, This is Paris, after which Provo denied the star’s abuse allegations, also claiming they had fallen under new management and thus were not liable for any previous wrongdoing, Today reported.
Provo Canyon have since told MailOnline the school was sold by its previous ownership in August 2000. ‘We therefore cannot comment on the operations or student experience prior to that time,’ the school said.
They said they provide a structured environment teaching life-skills, providing behavioural health therapy, and continuing education for youth who come to them with pre-existing and complex emotional, behavioural and psychiatric needs.
‘While we acknowledge there are individuals over the many years who believe they were not helped by the program, we are heartened by the many stories former residents share about how their stay was a pivot point in improving – and in many cases, saving – their lives,’ the school added.
They also insisted they do not use solitary confinement.
Paris Hilton says that in the US, 200,000 children are sent to youth residential programs each year to allegedly treat their behavioural and psychological needs – but reports say vulnerable young people are instead subjected to abuse.
Hilton said these issues are not confined to the US and she is fighting for global change.
MailOnline has contacted the Department for Education for comment.
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