Paris Hilton testifies about physical, sexual and emotional abuse

CONTENT WARNING: This article discusses child sexual abuse.

Paris Hilton bravely spoke about the extent of the sexual, physical and psychological abuse she experienced as an institutionalized teenager during testimony on Capitol Hill in Washington.

The heiress to a hotel fortune, billionaire, influencer and child care advocate has been openly critical of juvenile detention facilities since the premiere of her 2020 documentary in which she talks about her experiences. This is Paris.

“I’m here to be a voice for the children whose voices cannot be heard,” Hilton told members of the House Ways and Means Committee.

“The treatment these children have had to endure is criminal.”

Her testimony comes after a damning watchdog report from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services found that states were not adequately monitoring abuses. The report found that more than a dozen states do not monitor cases of repeated abuse in the same foster care facility.

The report comes after a Senate Finance Committee investigation found that children in foster care facilities that receive government funding are victims of violence.

Although Hilton was not a foster child herself, her experience in youth facilities is comparable to the allegations made by other children.

“When I was 16, I was dragged out of bed in the middle of the night and flown across state lines to the first of four youth treatment centers,” Hilton said in opening remarks.

“These programs promised healing, growth, and support — but instead they kept me from speaking, moving freely, or even seeing out the window for two years.”

She went on to explain the extent of the abuse, which included forced medication, sexual abuse, and brutal physical and psychological abuse.

“The staff force-fed me drugs and sexually abused me. I was brutally restrained, dragged through the corridors, stripped naked and thrown into solitary confinement.

“My parents were completely deceived, lied to and manipulated by this for-profit industry regarding the inhumane treatment I experienced,” she said. “So can you just imagine the experience of young people being placed by the state and not having regular follow-up visits?”

Hilton’s comments come after a 16-year-old boy Cornelius Frederick died in a care facility after being physically restrained face down for 12 minutes as punishment for throwing food. The facility later conducted an audit of its policies, but various reports from the U.S. indicate that abuses at these facilities are not an isolated incident.

“I will not stop until America’s youth are safe,” Hilton said in her testimony.