Bhad Bhabieis speaking out about abuse she says she experienced at the Turn-About Ranch in Escalante, Utah, where she was sent to address her behavioral issues after sheappeared onDr. Philin 2016 at the age of 13.
In a video shared onYouTube Friday, as part of the Breaking Code Silence movement in which individuals are encouraged to speak out against institutional child abuse, the rapper, née Danielle Marie Bregoli, 17, speaks about her experience at the Turn-About Ranch.
The establishment describes itself as a Christian-based residential treatment program for troubled teens, but Bhabie claims the facility took “away necessity privileges” instead of supporting teenagers in need.
In her YouTube video, the social media personality also issues a call-to-action to Dr. Phil McGraw in her video, asking him “to issue an apology not only to me, but to Hannah [Archuleta] or any other child you sent to Turn-About or any other program like this.”
Her statements run counter to herinterview with Dr. Philin 2017, immediately after leaving the facility, when she said she was glad she went there and believed it would help her “longterm.”
Bhad Bhabie, Dr. Phil.Getty Images (2)
Bhabie alleges that for the first three days upon her arrival at the facility, “there was no showering” and that for the duration of that time, she was forced to sit upright.
Bhabie adds that staffers were allegedly able to delegate any variation of punishment if they were “angry at the moment.”
She says, “They wouldn’t let me lay down for nothing. Like, I was falling asleep and they’re like, ‘Oh, get up, get up.’ So I’m just sitting here like, ‘This is gonna be really bad,’ when I saw these people have no sympathy.”
The camp responded to Archuleta’s chargesin a statement, saying that it had “taken immediate action” after Archuleta reported the alleged abuse, and that they “were unable to corroborate her story.” The camp added at the time: “We would never take lightly an allegation of mistreatment to any of our students.”
“That’s the things we these places, you have no evidence, you don’t have a phone there,” Bhabie, who also says she was taken to the camp “against my will,” says in her clip. “They don’t have cameras there. There’s no evidence of none of this and obviously all the staff is in on it so they’re not gonna snitch on each other. All you really have is the kids that are there.”
Bhad Bhabie.youtube
“It’s just our word against the staff’s word when you’re there, because there’s no witnesses, there’s no cameras, you don’t have a phone, there’s none of that,” Bhabie says. “That’s why I was so scared to speak out, because I was like, ‘No one’s going to be believe me.’ A lot of things happened to me there, and it hurt me so bad because I was genuinely like confused.”
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Bhabie concludes her video with a message to parents, urging them to find helpful solutions to their children’s behavioral issues rather than sending them away.
“I’m not really sure why Dr. Phil still sends kids here. It really doesn’t make sense,” Bhabie says. “Are you trying to help them or are you trying hurt them even more?”
If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go torainn.org.
source: people.com
