The number of forced marriages has increased more than ten-fold in just four years, government figures have revealed.
More than 770 suspected cases were reported to the Forced Marriage Unit this year, up from 152 in 2005.
If the trend continues, by the end of this year more than 1,540 Britons will have been coerced into a marriage they do not want to enter - an increase of more than 913 per cent.
The practice affects mainly young Asian women, with more than a third of cases involving those aged under 18. One in six victims are under 16.
Advisors said they are dealing with hundreds of schoolchildren who have confided to teachers that they fear they will be taken abroad in the summer holidays and forced to marry.
Foreign Office minister Chris Bryant said: ‘It is depressing this practice does still continue, for whatever reason, and as a government we are determined to do everything we can to protect the vulnerable.
‘There is no culture in which this is acceptable in a modern world.’
Government research also published today reveals that local agencies are not doing enough to identify and prevent forced marriage.
New guidelines are to be issued to help police, teachers, social workers and doctors spot potential victims.