Women are widely recognized as being one of the groups most vulnerable to violence and abuse. One of the predisposing factors that predicts a population�s vulnerability to abuse is low self-esteem and history of such abuse. The correlation between abuse and low self-esteem is strong; a person incurring abuse, more often than not, has had a history of childhood abuse. Amongst victims of childhood abuse, adult women often continue to receive abuse whereas men tend to become abusers; this perpetuates an abusive chain within the family structure. It has been shown that persons, who are abused, then abuse other people who are seen to be less powerful i.e. women who are abused by their husbands, in turn, abuse their children.

I have witnessed a high level of abuse happen amongst the homeless population in Vancouver�s Downtown East Side. This abuse, which causes low self-esteem, is then internalized and, ultimately manifests as self-harm. These victims use illegal substances to mask their pain or engage in harmful activities such as prostitution. Drugs and activities like prostitution, in turn, cause major problems in a person�s life, and they often soon find themselves in a terminal downward spiral.