Between 30% and 50% of female high school students report having already experienced teen dating violence. The teen dating violence may range from forced sex, to physical abuse, and emotional abuse. Taking a serious look at the statistics of domestic violence, last year there were 241,000 domestic calls to law enforcement in the States of California. 70,000 of those calls occurred in Los Angeles County. Almost one-half of the domestic violence homicides in the state took place in Los Angeles County although we constitute only one third of the state population. .
Self Esteem, Substance Abuse, and Disclosure .
There are serious consequences to rape and incest victims. Those who survive abuse most often have low self-esteem as well as are more likely to have substance abuse problems. These two factors may lead to poor health, death, and other psychological problems. Rape and incest have tremendous impacts on the victims' social lives and prevent them from experiencing the normal life course of a human being while in relationships. .
A personal interview of Ms. Karyl Drapper, a licensed therapist and psychiatrist, as well as the use of class materials she has provided has provided an enlightened view with in depth information of victims of abuse. According to Karyl, self-esteem is a Western ideology. The question that needs to be asked is how a person comes out of a rape? The victim has to regain the respect she once had before the trauma. She often ends up blaming herself such as questioning "how did I let that happen?- or " what did I do to deserve this? and if they were using alcohol then the problem get worse. Society often condemns the victim by stating "look at what she was wearing- or "what was she doing out late at night?- and claiming that the victim was asking for it. Society puts the blame on the victim instead of the perpetrator who is experiencing psychological problems by assaulting the victim.