Many people believe they are safe in their own home. "They love me, they won't do it again," is something many people also believe. Domestic violence is something that goes on daily, but is always brushed under the rug because it isn't a "political" issue. Many people wouldn't guess that their friends, family, neighbors or coworkers could be a victim of domestic violence.

Nearly 20 people a minute are physically or emotionally abused by a partner. That's roughly 10 million people a year, men and women. One in 15 children are exposed to this violence a year, nearly 90 percent of these kids are eyewitness to these violent acts. Women ages 18-24 are the most common victims of domestic violence. Less than 30 percent of victims receive medical or psychological attention for what their partner has done to them.

Domestic violence is not just physical abuse. Other forms of domestic violence include rape, stalking, homicide and verbal abuse. Having a partner who controls every move you make is an abusive partner. If they tell you what you can or cannot do, if they call you names and belittle you, that is verbal abuse. No man or woman should make you feel any less of a person. Verbal abuse may not leave physical scars, but it does leave emotional and mental scars.

In the United States alone, one in five women and one in seven men will be raped in their lifetime, 46 percent of the rapes that happen are done by someone you know, 45 percent of those known rapists are people in relationships with the victims. Know that "NO" still means "NO" even to someone you love. Some victims are also stalked by their abusers, and 44 percent of people who are stalked are stalked by former or current partners.

Sixty percent of abuse victims lose their jobs due to the impact the abuse had on them. Many victims have post-traumatic stress syndrome, also known as PTSD. Women abused by their partners are more likely to contract HIV or other STDs due to forced sexual contact and the ongoing stress their body goes through. Many of domestic violence victims suffer from anxiety, depression, and some are even suicidal.

Physical, mental, sexual and reproductive health effects have been linked with intimate partner violence including adolescent pregnancy, unintended pregnancy in general, miscarriage, stillbirth, intrauterine hemorrhage, nutritional deficiency, abdominal pain and other gastrointestinal problems, neurological disorders, chronic pain, as well as noncommunicable diseases such as hypertension, cancer and cardiovascular diseases. Victims of domestic violence are also at higher risk for developing addictions to alcohol, tobacco, or drugs.

Stay safe, remember "NO" means "NO," and someone who truly loves you would never hurt you. If you or someone you love are in any domestic violence situation that you think is an emergency situation please call 911, and please call the Domestic Violence Hotline at 800.621.4673.