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A conference has been held in Glasgow aimed at raising the profile of the culturally sensitive support available.
The practice of forcing brides to get married may be rare but detectives believe many cases go unreported.
The event on Thursday brought together women's groups, police and Foreign Office officials.
Peter Abbott, of the Foreign Office forced marriages unit, said: "We deal with around 300 cases a year. Around 65% of cases involved people of Pakistani descent, and 25% are of Bangladeshi descent.
"Around 85% of cases are women, just 15% are men, but in reality the figures for men are probably much higher.
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 Marriage through duress has a massive impact on the emotional well-being of women and children 
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"We are not afraid to say that forced marriages are a human rights abuse and there are places where people can go for help. We want forced marriages to come out of the closet."
Councillor Irene Graham, chairwoman of the Glasgow Violence Against Women Partnership, said cultural and religious barriers often made it extremely difficult for victims to seek support.
She said: "There is a lot of evidence to show that mutually arranged marriages can be very successful but forced marriage can never be accepted within our society.
'Abusive relationships'
"Marriage through duress has a massive impact on the emotional well-being of women and children. But it is an issue that is invariably hidden away with many victims shamed into silence.
"We are working with communities to ensure we can create an environment in which people can begin to move on from their abusive relationships."
The conference coincided with publication of a report.
The Right To Choose?' report includes previous research by the Council of British Pakistanis (Scotland), which found that one in 10 Asian women in Scotland was forced to marry.
The study also found that 25% of forced marriages in Scotland involved domestic abuse and was commissioned by Glasgow City Council and Strathclyde Police after a request from Hemat Gryffe Women's Aid.
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