Paris Hilton is standing up for kids without a voice

Never really had much respect for Paris Hilton. My impression was that she was a self-absorbed, stuck up, rich and snooty celebrity. I had no idea that the reason she testified before Congress this week was to open our eyes to the abuses in the child welfare system--because she was one of those kids.

Relating her testimony to her own experiences, she has helped outlaw several harsh disciplinary practices such as restraint and seclusion and has also been pushing for increased site visits to hold those running foster homes accountable.

Now Hilton says she also has hopes at the federal level: she wants Congress to reauthorize TITLE IV-B, a federal fund for states' child welfare programs, and to pass the "Stop the institutional Child Abuse Act:"

In these scenes taken from "This is Paris," Paris Hilton shares the haunting memories of her past from congregate-care facilities that have left her having nightmares derived from her trauma and shame. After attempting to bury her memories for more than two decades, she is now bringing them to surface to spread awareness about not only who she is and what she has gone through, but what many children are still undergoing when placed in these facilities.