EIGHT forced marriages have been halted by an East Lancashire ‘drop-in’ centre which is the first of its kind in the country.

Children as young as 15 have been rescued from being married overseas against their will by the centre.

And there has been a recent spike in calls from students afraid they will be taken out of the country during the holidays.

Community leaders have backed the pioneering project, called Practical Solutions, to stamp out the practice, described last week by Prime Minister David Cameron as ‘plain wrong’.

Project leader Mussurut Zia said seven women and a man had escaped being forced to marry since the centre was set up. The victims included people from Pendle and Blackburn.

Of the eight ‘live’ incidents, two came from college referrals, where students had approached their tutors with their concerns.

Volunteers at the project, which visits local colleges and women’s centres after first opening in Bangor Street, Blackburn, also deal with at least 20 inquiries a week, she added.

Ms Zia said: “It has been busy, and we are seeing an increase at the moment.

“Because it’s coming up to the Easter holidays, people are going to be away for long periods of time, and end up being left in the country they have gone to.

“Sometimes they’re brought back into the UK, but are no longer allowed to go to college or school.

“People are emaling, texting, and asking for information - should I go or not?

“People may not ealise they are missing for a good few months.”

Ms Zia said the service, which has seven volunteers and was under increasing finacial pressure, had expanded to take calls from across the country because of demand.

The project works by offering support to those at risk from a forced marriage so a dialogue can take place in the family.

In the most serious cases the victim can be taken to a place of safety such as a refuge while a solution is found.

Although there is no specific criminal offence of “forcing someone to marry” the victim can ask for police help if a crime, such as threatening behaviour, assault or kidnapping, has occurred.

In 2009, Lancashire Police used new powers to apply for the first ever Forced Marriage Protection Order. Breaking the injunction is a criminal offence.

However the police were not involved in the eight cases, Ms Zia said, because the people did not want to bring shame on their families.

Community cohesion champion Anjum Anwar said: “As far as I’m concerned it is a criminal act. How can it not be, for a child to be forced to do something against their will?”

Ms Anwar runs another service, Blackburn Cathedral-based Woman’s Voice, which is a panel including a headteacher to provide advice on the matter.

The service receives around three calls a week, she said, describing forced marriage as a ‘very serious phenomenon’.

She said: “Sometimes we will get a call from an educational institution because a student might be feeling slightly fragile. We might give them advice, or refer them to social services or the police.

“It’s an ongoing problem, and I think it will get worse before it gets better.”

Forced marriage affects around two per cent of East Lancashire’s Asian heritage population, Lancashire Council of Mosques chairman Salim Mulla estimated.

Unlike in an arranged marriage, where both parties consent, some element of duress is involved. Because of immigration law the matrriages usually take place abroad.

Mr Mulla said: “I have very strong feelings about this, and it’s something I can never, never support. Our religion, Islam, forbids it and I have been involved in quite a few cases where I have had to explain this to the parents. This charity provides an invaluable service.”

Blackburn MP Jack Straw pointed to the Forced Marriages Act, brought in by the last government, which gives police power to tackle the issue.

He said: “There is no doubt that through a combination of the act, and the work of people like Mussurut, we are gradually getting on top of this problem. But it remains a problem.”

A spokesman for Blackburn College said that staff members are trained to spot signs of forced marriage.

He said: “We are aware that the college has referred a number of students because of concerns over forced marriages.

“The College has the responsibility to safeguard all learners – and the case of forced marriage is no different. Our primary focus is towards protecting our learners and we have a staff base who are trained in not only spotting the signs of forced marriage but in dealing with it too.”

Recently Mussurut took a call from a college tutor who had been approached by a 20-year-old female victim of a forced marriage.

“I never leave a detailed voicemail to the victim, because you never know who will listen to it,” said Mussurut.

“I’ll just say something vague. That doesn’t identify me and get her into trouble, because it could be a friend or classmate.”

Mussurut then waited for the woman to make contact with her to arrange a face-to-face meeting.

When she found out that the marriage had already taken place, Mussurut instructed a family lawyer to start divorce proceedings, and checked on the immigration status of both the husband and wife.

She then set about referring the woman to a place of safety in a women’s refuge, while looking into what benefits or financial help she was entitled to.

If necessary at this point, some women change their names by deed poll, for safety reasons.

Mussurat then made telephone calls to the student loans company to inform them of the woman’s changing situiation, and the reason why she may need to transfer colleges. Counselling sessions are also looked into.

If women are moved into a refuge in a different area, Mussurut and her team will contact the police to make them aware of the situation on their patch.

Follow-up phone calls are made every week.