SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) — Paris Hilton is taking her advocacy to Capitol Hill Wednesday, asking lawmakers to support the rights and well-being of youth enrolled in teen treatment centers.
Her trip to Washington D.C. comes after a successful campaign in Utah that ended with the signage of a new law regulating facilities that treat teens with behavioral and mental health issues.
The law prevents treatment centers from using sedation or mechanical restraints without prior authorization. The centers are also required to document when restraints are used.
The reality TV star and entrepreneur held a press conference Wednesday with Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., and Caroline Cole, a woman who was also previously enrolled in a behavior modification facility.
"Today, I come here not as Paris Hilton but as a survivor," Hilton began.
"I am confident that this bill will create a world that where all youth have the support and opportunity they need to heal, thrive, and not just survive," she continued.
Hilton testified to state legislators earlier this year that she was abused mentally and physically while attending a Utah boarding school, where she said staff members abused her.
She alleged people working at the school would force her to take unknown pills, beat her and watch her shower.
Hilton also claimed she was sent to solitary confinement naked as a form of punishment.
In her biopic documentary, "This is Paris," published on YouTube, the socialite and her family talk about the time that led up to her enrollment at Provo Canyon School.
Paris begins the story talking about her business ventures before talking about her past, which involved her moving to her family-owned hotel in New York City.
She admits to going out late at night, partying at clubs while still in high school.
"Finally, I locked her in the room" her mother, Kathy Hilton explains.
"I was afraid she could run into a predator, get kidnapped," she said.
"Fear to me is the most powerful feeling there is."
Kathy said she felt it was a mistake to move to the Big Apple at the time, based on her daughter's behavior that she felt was dangerous.
"I got to get her out of here," Kathy said of her decision to send her daughter away from the city.
Paris admits that while she was in high school she ditched a lot of classes and was constantly in the public eye.
"I felt like I was just kind of, just sent away to be hidden," Paris said.
The socialite was sent to a number of different wilderness camps and said she escaped from at least three.
Her family then enrolled Paris at Provo Canyon School, where she remained for 11 months.
Following the release of her documentary, Paris used social media to raise awareness and to start a petition to close the facility.
She also joined a rally in October 2020 in Provo, Utah where she repeated her claims against the school.
KUTV News reached out to Provo Canyon School for a response to the rally Hilton held at the time.
A statement provided explains in part:
...as previously stated, Provo Canyon School was sold by its previous ownership in August 2000. We therefore cannot comment on the operations or patient experience prior to that time. ...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."
An abuse claim was filed against the school in 2010, which stemmed from a student staying at Provo Canyon School from 2003 to 2004.
According to court documents, those claims were considered to have been filed past the statute of limitations.
Previous media statements from Provo Canyon School regarding abuse allegations can be found here.