Paris Hilton returned to Salt Lake City, Utah on Tuesday for a ceremonial bill signed into law that regulates treatment centers for teens in the state.
The legislation for facilities that treat teens with behavioral and mental health issues received final approval in the legislature in early March, about a month after Hilton provided emotional evidence in support of the bill. Government Spencer Cox signed the bill last month, but held a ceremonial signing with Hilton on Tuesday.
The new law requires more government oversight of youth housing treatment centers and documentation of when they use restrictions. It will also prohibit treatment centers from using sedation or mechanical restraints without prior permission.
Hilton testified she was mentally and physically abused at a boarding school in Utah, where she said staff members would beat her, force her to take unknown pills, see her shower and send her without clothes as a safe.
PARIS HILTON TALKS ABOUT HER BEVERLY HILLS HOTEL PHOTO WITH AN INVITED GUESTS: ‘KIND OF AWKWARD’
Paris Hilton poses for a photo in front of Provo Canyon School during a rally on Friday, October 9, 2020 in Provo, Utah. Hilton was in Utah on Friday to lead a protest outside a boarding school where she claims she was physically and mentally abused when she was a teenager. Hilton, now 39, has revealed the allegations in a new documentary and wants a school she said she left with nightmares and insomnia for years to be closed.
(AP Photo / Rick Bowmer)
The socialite and reality TV star also spoke about the abuse in a documentary titled ‘This is Paris’ which was released this autumn.
Since the launch of the documentary, other celebrities have expressed their experiences at school or other similar events, including Michael Jackson’s daughter Paris Jackson and tattoo artist Kat Von D.
SARAH SILVERMAN RECONCILIATES AT PARIS HILTON FOR PAST PRISON ANGELS THAT LEFT HOTEL HERITAGE ‘WANTS TO DIE’
Several alumni and even one former staff member of the school supported Hilton’s allegations in previous interviews with Fox News and eventually called her a ‘hero’.
She has worked closely with the Breaking Code Silence movement which consists of survivors who are aware of institutional child abuse across the country. Members of the movement had earlier told Fox News that Hilton was “absolutely” the reason the case moved to the Senate committee floor.
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Paris Hilton wipes her eyes after speaking at a committee meeting in the Utah State Capitol, Monday, February 8, 2021, in Salt Lake City.
(AP Photo / Rick Bowmer)
In her testimony in February, Hilton said she still suffers from nightmares and insomnia due to her abuse at Provo Canyon School. The school declined to comment earlier, claiming they have not been able to comment since the Hilton attended.
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If you or a child you know suffers from abuse, please contact The Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-CHILD (1-800-422-4453).
The Associated Press contributed to this report.