“George Huguely has been officially charged with the murder of 22-year-old University of Virginia student Yeardley Love. Love was killed early Monday morning. The Daily Progress reported Huguely admitted to police that, during an argument with Yeardley Love, he “shook Love and her head repeatedly hit the wall,” according to an affidavit requesting a search warrant.

It was reported that Love was found face down on her pillow in her bedroom. Her right eye was swollen shut, there was a pool of blood on the pillow, and her face was bruised, according to the affidavits. The door to the room had been forced open and had a hole in it, according to the documents. The two had dated for over a year and recently split.

For roughly the past year, the California Women’s Law Center has conducted workshops educating school personnel and direct service providers on teen dating violence. The death of Yeardley Love this week accentuates the importance of stopping this pervasive behavior early– when girls, as minor children, are under the supervision of adults that can take legal action on the girls’ behalf.

Approximately 20% of female high school students report being physically and/or sexually abused by a dating partner. Yet about 34% of teens report knowing a friend or peer who has been hit, punched, kicked, slapped or physically hurt by their dating partner.

And, studies have shown that 80% of teenage girls who are abused remain in the abusive relationship and the severity of violence among intimate partners has been shown to increase if the pattern has been established in adolescence. This pattern of acceptance is often passed along to their children.

Several states have adopted policies requiring schools to address teen dating violence issues. For more information about teen dating violence, please contact us.