Celebrity News April 04, 2024
Paris Hilton ‘Horrified’ by Alleged Abuse of American Boys at Jamaica Boarding School
Paris Hilton is on a mission to help several American boys who allegedly suffered abuse while attending Atlantis Leadership Academy, a boarding school in Jamaica.
The boys, ages 14 to 18, were removed from the school, and are now with Jamaica’s Child Protection and Family Services Agency. At least two of the teens have reportedly been sent home.
According to reports, Atlantis Leadership Academy's founder, Randall Cook, through his attorney, has denied the allegations of abuse at the facility. Lawyers for the school have also denied all allegations of mistreatment and abuse. The investigation is ongoing.
Paris is an advocate for young people in the “troubled teen industry,” after her experience as a teen at Utah’s Provo Canyon School. She has continued to unmask more of these behavior-modification centers on her podcast “Trapped in Treatment," which has a new season slated for later this month.
This week, she headed to Jamaica to attend a hearing for the teens, and spoke at a press conference hosted by her nonprofit 11:11 Media Impact.
Paris said she was “horrified” by the allegations of abuse.
The star went on, “When these boys asked for me and wanted me to come to the hearing, I dropped everything to travel here. No child deserves to be silenced or to testify about abuse alone. I also immediately sent supplies and clothing for the boys and brought more items with me today to help them stay comfortable during this stressful and traumatic experience.”
She also warned about the added dangers of sending kids to these schools abroad. “Parents who trusted this facility have temporarily lost custody of their children,” Paris said.
Hilton later added, “It outrages me that it has taken months to bring these children back to the United States, and mere moments to send them away in the first place.”
She insisted, “This is a global issue that requires systematic change… I am dedicated to eliminating child abuse and neglect in youth residential programs.”
Dawn J. Post, an attorney who has worked with some of the teens as a child advocate, told “Extra,” “One of the things that was described to me personally is the fact that they were put into really 'bizarre stress positions’… After an escape attempt these youth were beaten then put into these stress positions which they were kept in for days, in addition to that they were kept awake.”
According to the Jamaican publication The Gleaner, the boys were removed from Atlantis Leadership Academy after an unannounced visit on February 8.
Jamaica’s Child Protection and Family Services Agency told the outlet in a statement, “During this visit, signs of abuse and neglect were observed, leading to the immediate removal of the teens from the facility for their safety.”
Dirk Harrison, a lawyer for the academy, told The Gleaner, “The authorities have not seen it fit to extend to, nor afford either Atlantis Leadership Academy or [founder Randall Cook], the courtesy of taking their account or response to these very serious and disturbing allegations.”
He continued, “Instead, the CPFSA has been giving interviews in an apparent attempt to inflame both the local and international media to look in one direction only, instead of being cautious, circumspect, and balanced at this preliminary stage, as is required of a responsible public agency.”
The academy website states, “We are an affordable, structured Boarding Academy serving young men who possess strong leadership skills, though they’ve taken some wrong turns in their lives.”