Ruth Glenn says strangers often try to change the subject when she tells them what she does for a living. “It’s such an unpleasant topic and they get uncomfortable,” explains Glenn, the CEO and president of the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence. A survivor herself, Glenn understands the reaction, but says it’s something that people should take the time to understand. Each year, more than 12 million women and men — 24 people per minute , on average — are victims of rape, physical violence, or staking by an intimate partner in the U.S., according to the National Domestic Violence Hotline. It’s more prevalent than you’d think, and could someday impact you or someone you know. It's worth taking the time to understand it, and the many forms it can take.