Hundreds of women including a girl as young as eight have been saved from a forced marriage as a result of tireless campaigning by Keighley MP Ann Cryer, MPs have been told.

Giving evidence before the Commons Home Affairs Select Committee today, Crown Prosecutor Director for London West, Nazir Afzal, praised Mrs Cryer’s work in demanding action against forced marriage and honour-based violence.

The committee heard how the work of Mrs Cryer has resulted in several hundred women being helped because of changes to the law which saw the age someone can come into the UK to marry raised from 18 to 21.

Mrs Cryer also was at the centre of the campaign for Forced Marriage Protection Orders which offer protection if a forced marriage has already taken place. Passports can be confiscated to stop people being taken out of the country against their will, or returning someone to the UK if they have already been taken.

MPs were shocked when Mr Afzal told how an order was taken out on a girl of eight. Since the orders came into force in November 2008, 117 have been made.

Mr Afzal warned that, while progress had been made, many people were still not comfortable discussing the sensitive subject.

He said: “We are not at a stage where minimum standards are being carried out. There are still organisations that do not buy into it and are not open discussing this matter. But there is a greater awareness than there ever was.”

The Force Marriage Act is the first of its kind anywhere in the world. Calls have also been made for more hotlines for women to call and also information to be given to women entering the UK about how to contact in a problem, amid fears many are left helpless.

Mr Afzal said: “West Yorkshire and the West Midlands are the areas with the largest volume of the problem but yet they do not have an area wide helpline.”

MPs were also told short films about forced marriage and domestic violence should appear on UK flights.

Mrs Cryer said: “I am very proud of what I have done. I always wondered if anyone else would have taken it on.

“It was not easy at the beginning and I suffered greatly and had lots of verbal abuse but I knew I was doing the right thing.

“What we have is not perfect and we must keep pressing the issue, especially when we hear of a girl as young as eight needing an order.

“We are not home and dry but well on the way.

“The Pakistani and Bangladeshi communities are getting the message you cannot force someone to marry. We’ve got somewhere in Keighley. I used to have people coming to me about this every other week but now I have virtually no cases.”