The reality star says she feels “so validated” after the facility she accused of abuse was ordered to shut down
Provo Canyon School is finally closing its doors, and for Paris Hilton, the moment is years in the making.
The socialite and activist says she feels “so validated” after Utah officials revoked the licence of the Springville campus of Provo Canyon School.
The residential treatment facility where Hilton has long alleged she endured abuse as a teenager.
The Utah Department of Health and Human Services announced the decision on July 6. Citing repeated failures to meet health and safety standards and what it described as a pattern of ongoing noncompliance.
For Hilton, the decision represents far more than a regulatory action.
“For more than fifty years, children came forward with stories of abuse, neglect, and trauma…Today, the state confirmed what survivors have known all along: Provo Canyon School failed the children in its care.”
Hilton, who has become one of the most prominent advocates for reforming the troubled teen industry, added that she thought of the frightened teenager she once was.
“I was one of those children. I know what it feels like to cry for help and believe no one is coming,” she said. “Today, children still inside that facility know someone is finally coming to protect them.”
She claims staff screamed at students, isolated them in solitary confinement, monitored communications with parents and created an atmosphere designed to instil fear.
Hilton also celebrated the announcement on Instagram. Calling it “the news I’ve been fighting and praying for” while thanking fellow survivors who had spent years speaking out.
After years of being told their stories weren’t enough, survivors now have something many feared would never come: the state acknowledging they deserved better.
