ABSTRACT Objective: to describe the perceptions of women, prisoners or partners of imprisoned men who experience/experienced intimate partner violence, and how they cope with this situation. Method: a descriptive exploratory study with a qualitative approach conducted with 21 women. Empirical data collected between March and August 2018, through audio-recorded semi-structured interviews, were submitted to thematic content analysis. Results: women reported experiencing different forms of violence, which triggered suffering and negative commitment in their lives, far beyond the act itself, especially by the emotional and physical marks and their consequences. They also realize that coping with violence is individual responsibility, lived in the counterpoint between the desire to overcome it and passivity. Final considerations: intimate partner violence was uniquely revealed by women as a solitary experience, with permanent consequences in the physical, emotional, patrimonial, sexual and moral spheres, and limited internal and external resources make it difficult to cope with it.