The passing of the bipartisan Stop Institutional Child Abuse Act in the House last week by unanimous consent was celebrated by Representatives Indian American Ro Khanna (CA-17), and Earl L. “Buddy” Carter (GA-01) on December 18, 2024. Senators Jeff Merkley (D-OR), John Cornyn (R-TX), and Tommy Tuberville (R-AL), along with American media personality Paris Hilton also joined the celebrations.
The legislation, which also received unanimous approval from the US Senate, is awaiting the President’s nod to be signed into law.
Rep. Khanna, in a statement released by Rep. Carter, said, “Children across the country are at risk of abuse and neglect due to a lack of transparency in institutional youth treatment programs. The industry has gone unchecked for too long. Paris Hilton and other survivors of abuse in this broken system have bravely shared their stories and inspired change. I’m proud to lead this legislation with my colleagues to protect the safety and well-being of kids.”
Hilton, a longstanding champion against institutional child abuse, and a survivor of institutional child abuse herself, highlighted that the legislation will ensure accountability and offer protection to over 100,000 youth in America. She has worked closely with lawmakers in D.C. and advocacy groups to shine a light on the forms of abuse that take place behind the closed doors of care facilities.
In ‘This is Paris’, her 2020 biographical documentary, Hilton revealed that at 16, she experienced trauma while frequenting residential treatment facilities. Her experience has since led her on a crusade to promise legislative change for fellow survivors.
“Since releasing my documentary four years ago and sharing my story about the abuse I endured in youth residential treatment facilities, the response has been overwhelming. I made a vow to do everything in my power to advocate for survivors and shine a light on the harsh reality that hundreds of thousands of children still face,” said Hilton.
She further noted that “After years of fighting for this bill and countless trips to the Capitol, I am so proud that the Stop Institutional Child Abuse Act has officially passed Congress. I never imagined my voice could create such change, and I am committed to using my platform to protect children, amplify the voices of survivors, and ensure no child is ever harmed in the name of ‘treatment,’ again,” underscoring that she hopes that the Bill will be signed by President Biden.
Rep. Carter also said, “One child experiencing abuse is too many. Hundreds of thousands of children being funnelled into seemingly safe institutional care facilities only to be dehumanized and abused is a crisis, one that I am thrilled Congress took action to address today.”
He highlighted that the signing of the bill into law will help parents and children “have an accurate understanding of the practices, goals, and ethics of residential youth treatment centres before it’s too late.” He thanked Hilton for being vocal about her struggles and calling out the discrepancies in the industry which made the passage of the bill possible.
US Senator from Oregon, Jeff Merkley, a chief sponsor of the Act in the Senate, while speaking at the press conference said that the Act will give parents and other stakeholders the necessary education regarding their children’s safety to address the challenge of institutional child abuse. “No child seeking help should end up receiving harm,” he said.
In the statement released, Senator Merkley added, “Often, a child seeking help is harmed instead—this must end. This strongly bipartisan effort to bring oversight to the troubled teen industry has been years in the making, and now, our bill to shine a light on the horrifying cases at these centres is on the way to becoming law.”
“Some children in residential youth programs have faced unimaginable abuse and neglect, and I am proud to have introduced this legislation to help ensure institutional child abuse comes to an end. Now that both the Senate and the House have passed this critical legislation, I look forward to the President signing it into law to help protect vulnerable youth from these horrific conditions,” said US Senator from Texas, John Cornyn, in the statement.
The statement also captured US Senator from Alabama, Tommy Tuberville’s sentiments on the Act. He said, “I dedicated my life to mentoring young people because they are the most precious commodity that we have. If we get everything else right, but neglect our young people, our country has no future. There’s an old saying that sunlight is the best disinfectant,” adding “We need some more sunlight on these facilities so we can put a stop to the waste, and the fraud, and abuse in the system. I’m proud to support the Stop Institutional Child Abuse Act and stand with our kids.”
This Bill will provide greater supervision over for institutional youth treatment programs, along with data transparency. It will offer children greater protection against physical, mental, emotional and sexual abuse and will help identify and prevent institutional child abuse.
In an older statement released by Rep. Khanna, the features of the Act are underscored. The Stop Institutional Child Abuse Act is a pivotal measure to enhance oversight and transparency in institutional youth programs. It incorporates key recommendations from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to establish robust state information-sharing systems and promote best practices for preventing abuse.
The Act creates a Federal Work Group on Youth Residential Programs and commissions a National Academies study to assess the use of restraints, seclusion, and other restrictive interventions in such programs
