Paris Hilton returned to Salt Lake City Tuesday for a ceremonial bill signing for a law that regulates treatment centres for troubled teens in Utah.
The legislation for facilities that treat teens with behavioural and mental health issues gained final approval in the Legislature in early March, about a month after Hilton gave emotional testimony in support of the bill. Gov. Spencer Cox signed the bill last month but held a ceremonial signing with Hilton on Tuesday.
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The new law will require more government oversight of youth residential treatment centres and documentation for when they use restraints. It will also prohibit treatment centres from using sedation or mechanical restraints without prior authorization.
Hilton testified she was abused mentally and physically at a Utah boarding school, where she said staff members would beat her, force her to take unknown pills, watch her shower and send her to solitary confinement without clothes as punishment.
The socialite and reality TV star also spoke about the abuse in a documentary titled “This is Paris” that was released this fall.
Since the documentary was released, other celebrities have spoken out about their experiences at the school or others like it, including Michael Jackson’s daughter Paris Jackson and tattoo artist Kat Von D.
After the ceremonial bill signing, Hilton took to Instagram to speak out about the “surreal moment seeing the new bill I helped pass signed into law.”
She shared a video of her speech, revealing how proud and honoured she was to be standing up for her fellow survivors.
Hilton wrote, “As promised, since telling my story as a survivor, I will not stop until every child is protected. No child or teen should ever have to go through any kind of abuse in one of these facilities.”
