Paris Hilton has written a heartfelt letter to the House Of Representatives, urging them to pass a bill for victims of child abuse before the Christmas holiday.
It comes after the business mogul, singer, DJ and reality star gave an emotional testimony back in 2021, recalling her own experience of emotional, physical and psychological abuse that she suffered while attending boarding school as a teen.
In her statement to the government, Hilton encouraged the US House Of Representatives to pass the Stop Institutional Child Abuse bill before they go on their festive breaks, and consider “the children who can’t speak for themselves”.
For most of my life, I carried a deep, unspoken pain. I thought if I stayed quiet, if I buried it far enough, maybe I could convince myself it didn’t happen. But silence doesn’t heal it only protects the people that caused the harm,” she began. “Speaking up has been the hardest thing l’ve ever done, but it’s also been the most powerful.
“As a teenager, I was sent to youth residential treatment facilities where I endured abuse that no child should ever experience […] I was told I didn’t matter, that I was the problem, and that no one would believe me if I spoke up— not even my family. For years, I lived with the weight of that trauma, the nightmares, the shame. It wasn’t until I found my voice that I began to heal,” she continued. “Advocating for change has been one of the most challenging and rewarding journeys of my life”.
Later in the statement, Hilton went on to recall the number of “brave survivors” she has met through speaking out about her own experience and said it reminds her “every day why this fight matters”.
Hilton detailed her alleged abuse in 2020 via the YouTube Originals documentary This Is Paris, and went on to frequently visit the White House to work on reform to youth residential treatment facilities. She has lobbied for the Stop Institutional Child Abuse Act for over three years and, as highlighted by Billboard, the Senate passed the notion with unanimous support last week.
In light of this, the letter to the House Of Representatives asks lawmakers to wrap up the remaining work for the bill before Donald Trump’s presidential inauguration on January 20.
“When the U.S. Senate came together in a rare show of unity to pass the Stop Institutional Child Abuse Act unanimously on Wednesday December 11, it was one of the best moments of my life,” she shared. “It was proof that when we listen to survivors and put politics aside, we can create real, meaningful change. But this journey isn’t over. I can’t celebrate until this bill becomes law, and now it’s up to the U.S. House of Representatives to finish what the Senate started.”
You can find the full letter from Hilton in the post above.
Paris Hilton On Capitol Hill, 2024. CREDIT: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
Earlier this year, Hilton testified on Capitol Hill about the experience she had at the aforementioned school in Utah, which she attended in the ‘90s, and has advocated for sweeping reforms to the foster and youth rehab system (via Daily Mail).
This is a developing story, and ABC News has reported that Hilton was due back in Washington to meet with House members on Monday (December 16), to urge them to pass the bill.
Beyond her campaign against child abuse, Hilton has also been working on new music and announced in the spring that her highly-awaited second album ‘Infinite Icon’ would be arriving this September. It comes 18 years after the release of her 2006 debut album ‘Paris’, and was something she had been teasing since 2017.
For help, advice or more information regarding harassment, assault and rape in the UK, visit the Rape Crisis charity website. In the US, visit RAINN.
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