BEIJING - Nearly 25 percent of Chinese women have suffered domestic violence in their marriage, an official in charge of women's affairs said on Tuesday.

The country's women's federations receive about 50,000 domestic violence cases each year, said Tan Lin, secretary of the secretariat of the All-China Women's Federation (ACWF), at a seminar jointly held by China and Australia.

At the seminar, China's first domestic violence intervention center was established. The China Women's University under the ACWF will oversee the center's daily operation.

"Domestic violence is the cancer cell of social development and severely affects society's overall progress," Tan said.

China has included the fight against family violence in its development guideline of women and children (2011-2020) and in the government work's appraisal system; it is also part of the country's legislative plan, she said.