Paris Hilton cries as she testifies to abuse at Utah school

Paris Hilton broke down in tears this week as she testified before a panel of Utah politicians about chronic abuse at a boarding school.

“My name is Paris Hilton. I am a survivor of institutional abuse, ”the 39-year-old socialite said Monday during a state Senate committee hearing at the Utah Capitol.

Hilton, 39, was shown wiping away tears as she testified about her alleged abuse at 17 at Provo Canyon School in Beehive State, which she dubbed “Hell himself on earth ”.

“I was verbally, mentally and physically abused on a daily basis,” Hilton said of her days when she was “no longer Paris” but just a number.

“I have been cut off from the outside world and deprived of all my human rights,” she said, accusing the staff of being “evil and sadistic”.

“I was crying to fall asleep every night praying to wake up from this nightmare,” she told the hearing.

Hilton – who previously discussed the abuse in a documentary, “This is Paris” – said his 11 months at the so-called Center for Compassionate Behavior caused continued trauma.

“Over the past 20 years, I have experienced a recurring nightmare where I am kidnapped in the middle of the night by two strangers, strip searched and locked in an institution,” she said.

“I wish I could tell you that this haunting nightmare was just a dream, but it isn’t,” she said, saying she feared they would “never go away.” .

She said she was “forced to take medication that made me feel numb and exhausted” and “did not breathe fresh air or see sunlight for 11 months.”

“There was no privacy – whenever I used the bathroom or took a shower – she was supervised,” she said.

“When I was 16 years old – a child – I could feel their piercing eyes staring at my naked body. I was just a kid and felt raped every day, ”she said, calling it“ unconstitutional, degrading and terrifying ”.

She claimed that a longtime employee – who was employed until her documentary aired – bragged to recent students that she “was the one who broke Paris Hilton.”

Hilton told the hearing that “talking about something so personal was and still is terrifying,” but she wanted to make changes to prevent others from being treated the same way.

Hilton’s testimony was to support a bill requiring increased government oversight of youth residential treatment centers and requiring them to document when they use restraints.

The measure was passed unanimously following the moving testimony of Hilton and several other survivors.

Hilton called on President Biden and Congressional leaders to take action and said she intends to pursue federal legislation.

“This is just the first step,” Hilton told reporters. “This bill is definitely going to help a lot of kids, but there is obviously more work to be done, and I will not stop until the change occurs.

In a statement on its website, Provo Canyon School says the previous owners sold the school in 2000.

Associate administrator Tim Marshall told KUTV that the school supports the bill and “eliminated the use of seclusion or isolation some time ago.” He also insisted that staff “do not use drugs to sedate, make a patient immobile or limit their ability to continue to actively participate in their care”.

With pole wires