Last December, I was having a conversation with a friend about how many people are actually affected by intimate partner violence (IPV).  When I said that 1 out of 4 women had experienced some form of intimate partner violence in their lifetime, my friend responded, “But, I don’t know anyone who has been abused.”  My response: “You just don’t think you know anyone. It is hidden so often, and we often don’t think that intimate partner violence affects our friends and families.”