Businesswoman Paris Hilton returned to Washington DC where she called on the House of Representatives to pass a bill aimed at ending child abuse after opening up on her own experience
Paris Hilton has taken part in a landmark moment as she opened up on her own abuse.
The socialite and media personality, 44, headed to Washington DC to urge House of Representatives to pass legislation aimed at ending institutional child abuse. She has previously opened up on the “weight of the trauma” and abuse she endured as a teenager at a youth residential treatment centre.
Paris has lobbied for the passing of the Stop Institutional Child Abuse Act over the last three years. This week, she gave a speech at Capitol Hill to support the bill. She shared a series of photos from the moment and told her followers: “Yesterday at Capitol Hill, I gave a speech urging the House to pass the Stop Institutional Child Abuse Act—a bill that would protect children from the same trauma I endured as a teen in a residential treatment facility.
“I’ve visited the Capitol several times since beginning on my advocacy journey, but this trip is especially meaningful as I have my son Phoenix by my side. He and my daughter London are a huge part of my motivation in fighting for children’s rights I want them to know that their mom is making sure that the world a safer place for every child.
“The Senate has already passed it. Now it’s time for the House to act. #StopInstitutionalChildAbuse.” Paris was flooded with support from her fans who left rows of red heart emojis under her post. Her husband Carter Reum said: “So proud of you.” Vas J Morgan added: “Insanely proud of you.” A fan commented: “So proud of you and everything you’ve done to help those without a voice!”
Paris has called on the House to join the Senate, which unanimously passed the bill last Wednesday. In another social media post, Paris shared an open letter to the House of Representatives. She said: “To every member of the House: Think of the children who can’t speak for themselves. They’re counting on you. Let’s turn pain into purpose and protect the most vulnerable among us.
“Silence doesn’t heal – it protects the people that caused the harm.” Paris added that it was ‘urgent’ for the House to “pass this bill in the next week before the end of this year’s session, or else the bill will die”. The model has travelled to Washington every six to 10 months since October 2021 as she called for change.
Last year, Paris opened up about her traumatic experiences and admitted she has become somewhat used to being “violated”. The businesswoman has seen her life play out across screens and the media since a young age due to being the granddaughter of hotel owner Conrad Hilton.
She said: “I’ve been violated my whole life, my privacy has been violated.” Paris went on to tell The Independent: “I was in so much pain that I created this Barbie doll fantasy life, it was a character I put on as a mask to protect myself. My family always wanted me to be very proper and conventional, but I didn’t want to be known as the Hilton Hotel granddaughter, I wanted to be known as someone else.”
In her autobiography, Paris: The Memoir, she opened up about being drugged and raped aged 15 as well as being abused while attending a boarding school – a claim her former school have continued to deny. Paris claims she was groomed by a former teacher of hers and she had attempted to “block out” the terrifying memories and didn’t remember them until several years later.
If you’ve been the victim of sexual assault, you can access help and resources via www.rapecrisis.org.uk or calling the national telephone helpline on 0808 802 9999
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