Paris Hilton calls for reforms in US youth care facilities, recalls abuse suffered as teen

Reality TV celebrity and socialite Paris Hilton on Wednesday recalled being allegedly "strangled" as a teenager while she was campaigning for the introduction of reforms in US youth care facilities. "I couldn't sleep for 20 years from memories of youth care abuse," BBC quoted her as saying. The Great-granddaughter of Conrad Hilton (founder of Hilton hotels) opened up about being sexually abused as a teenager in her documentary which was released last year.

Hilton was speaking at an event at the Capitol building to advocate for reforms at residential programs of troubled teens when she elaborated how she was allegedly "kidnapped" in the middle of the night by two men. In an op-ed written in the Washington Post, the businesswoman also alleged that she was forcefully medicated and physically assaulted as a part of a "behaviour modification program," her parents had undertaken. The 40-year-old also mentioned that she suffered from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) from her time at the residential school as a teen.

"The men took me to the airport as part of a parent-approved kidnapping. Like countless other parents of teens, my parents had searched for solutions to my rebellious behaviour," she wrote in an op-ed in the Washington Post wrote earlier this week.

Highlighting the death of Cornelius Fredericks in the Michigan residential facility in 2020, she asserted that American children are subjected to physical, sexual and emotional abuse "in the hands of those responsible for their care," BBC quoted her as saying during her speech on Wednesday. Hilton, who has been campaigning for US youth care abuse reforms for years now, was joined by several teen abuse survivors at the Capitol Hill campaign speech for the Accountability for Congregate Care Act.

Accountability for Congregate Care Act

The Accountability for Congregate Care Act is a call for urgent reforms to mitigate human and child rights violations, and teen abuse in the "multi-billion dollar troubled teen industry," as per Paris Hilton. On Wednesday, the campaigner for the cause, Hilton announced that the Act will be introduced in Congress. As per Survivors Breaking Silence, the funding through the bill will enable states to develop congregate care best practices and reporting procedures to ensure the safety of teens admitted in the residential facilities. The bill also seeks the states to develop infrastructure and systems in such facilities to avert "catastrophic abuse" and understand "evidence-based practices" for youth in an institutional setting.

Image: AP