Paris Hilton testifies at US House hearing on youth care programs
Media personality Paris Hilton arrives to testify at a House Committee on Ways and Means hearing on "Strengthening Child Welfare and Protecting Americas Children," on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C, on June 26, 2024. (Photo by JIM WATSON/AFP via Get
Reality TV star Paris Hilton is testifying at a US House committee hearing on youth care programs on Wednesday.
Hilton told the congressional testimony that she was removed from her bed in the middle night and taken to a residential facility when she was 16 years old.
USA Today reported that the hotel heiress told legislators that she allegedly she was forcibly given medications, sexually abused by staff at a facility, stripped naked, and placed in solitary confinement for two years.
Hilton is one of several witnesses speaking at the hearing. The 43-year-old has addressed alleged emotional and physical abuse she suffered while staying in your treatment center when she was a teenager, Reuters reported.
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The hearing comes amid a report released by the Human Services Office of Inspector General on Wednesday regarding negligence by states when tracking how often children in foster care facilities face abuse.
Citing the agency’s report, the AP reported that states responsible for almost 50,000 children in these institutions aren’t doing their part to weed out which centers are complicit in the overall issue.
The HHS OIG noted in their findings that more than 12 states don’t monitor when multiple abuses occur at a facility or centers owned by the same company.
The Associated Press contributed to this report. This story was reported from Washington, D.C.