A Christian campaigner against domestic violence says faith groups must lead the way in educating men and boys.

Mandy Marshall, co-director of Restored, is representing the Church of England at this week's UN Commission on the Status of Women.

She says that educating men and boys is "key" to ending violence against women, and that faith groups must lead the way.

The Commission coincides with International Women's Day today and runs until 15 March.

She noted that very few of the more than 6,000 delegates at the Commission were men.

Marshall said there was also need for a "focus on including faith leaders as transformers of cultures in the process of prevention".

"With one in four women in the UK suffering abuse in her lifetime, and two women a week being killed by their partner or former partner, it is indeed time for action," she said.

In an NGO briefing, UN Women head Michelle Bachelet said seven out of 10 women had reported suffering physical or sexual violence.

Writing in her blog, Marshall said: "I was taken aback to hear that statistic and I work in the sector. It makes me wonder how did we let the situation get so bad."

Restored is running a campaign in partnership with Christian Vision for Men called First Man Standing, which challenges men to assess their attitudes and actions, respect women, and join in ending violence against women.