Paris Hilton calls for greater federal oversight of child welfare programs during House of Representatives hearing on child welfare

Paris Hilton has been an outspoken advocate for child welfare issues since she shared her own harrowing experiences of abuse at a boarding school for troubled teens in her 2020 documentary “This is Paris” and her 2023 memoir “Paris: The Memoir.”Paris Hilton has been an outspoken advocate for child welfare issues since she shared her own harrowing experiences of abuse at a boarding school for troubled teens in her 2020 documentary “This is Paris” and her 2023 memoir “Paris: The Memoir.” In her testimony before the House Ways and Means Committee on Wednesday, Hilton spoke about the importance of providing resources and support to families to prevent them from having to enter the child welfare system, and the need for better regulation of residential treatment centers for youth. Hilton’s advocacy work has included visits to Washington, D.C., to meet with policymakers and other survivors to discuss issues related to the protection of institutionalized youth. She has also spoken out against the use of solitary confinement and other forms of punishment in these facilities. Hilton’s personal experiences and her passion for protecting children have made her a powerful voice in the fight for child welfare reform. She continues to use her platform to raise awareness about these issues and advocate for change.

WASHINGTON — Paris Hilton is opening up about her experiences with past abuse as she continues to advocate for legislation that better protects children from institutional abuse.

On Wednesday, the actor, singer, DJ and model said she will “be the voice for the children whose voices cannot be heard” and “will not stop until America’s youth are safe,” as she urged congressional action to protect children’s well-being. while testifying at a House committee hearing on Wednesday.

Appearing before the House Ways and Means Committee for a hearing focused on foster care and the reauthorization of Title IV-B of the Social Security Act — which provides resources to states to promote child welfare — Hilton said that “families need resources and support , so they don’t have to end up in the child welfare system in the first place.”

Hilton is an outspoken advocate on child welfare issues and has previously said she experienced physical and emotional abuse at a boarding school for troubled teens in her 2020 documentary “This is Paris” and her 2023 memoir “Paris: The Memoir” . She has said she still suffers from PTSD from her time at the facility.

She testified Wednesday about her experiences, telling the committee that when she was 16 years old, “I was ripped from my bed in the middle of the night and transported across state lines to the first of four residential treatment centers for youth.”

“I was given medication and sexually abused by the staff. I was forcibly restrained and dragged through the corridors, stripped naked and thrown into solitary confinement. My parents were completely deceived – lied to and manipulated by this profit-driven industry about the inhumane treatment I experienced,” she said. “So can you only imagine the experience for young people in state placement who are not regularly monitored by people?”

“As a mother, these stories break my heart,” Hilton, now a mother of two, also said during the hearing.

Hilton has visited Washington DC in the past to advocate for child safety. For example, she visited Washington DC in 2022. According to a White House official, she met with White House policy officials and other survivors to “discuss issues relevant to the protection of institutionalized youth in America.”

“What I experienced in these places is something I will never forget,” Hilton told CNN’s Brianna Keiler during a 2022 interview. “It affected me and will affect me for the rest of my life. That’s why I’m fighting for change, so that No child should ever have to suffer in the name of treatment.”

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